SFDFD Joins Community In Mourning Fallen Hero In Afghanistan

The men and women of the Sykesville-Freedom District Fire Department offer our condolences to the family, colleagues and friends of an Eldersburg native killed in Afghanistan.

Reports indicate that Army Captain Sara M. Knutson was one of five soldiers who died when their helicopter crashed in Kandahar on March 11.

Captain Knutson was a 2003 graduate of Liberty High School and a 2007 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. She was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company of the 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, based in Georgia.

Reports say that in addition to Captain Knutson, the fallen include Staff Sgt. Steven P. Blass, 27, of Estherville, Iowa; Chief Warrant Officer Bryan J. Henderson, 27, of Franklin, La.; Staff Sgt. Marc A. Scialdo, 31, of Naples, Fla.; and Spec. Zachary L. Shannon, 21, of Dunedin, Fla.

The Pentagon says the crash remains under investigation, but there were no indications of enemy activity in the area.