Two North Dakota Soldiers Killed in Afghanistan - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

Some sad news to report tonight, Two North Dakota soliders were killed while serving in Afghanistan and another was injured Monday.

The soldiers were part of the 818 Sappers, based in Williston with detachments in Hazen.

The soldiers killed are 41 year old Sergeant First Class Darren Linde and 20 year old Specialist Tyler Orgaard.

Linde leaves behind a wife and 4 children.

Linde lived in Devils Lake, but was originally from Sidney, Montana, about 45 miles southwest of Williston.

Orgaard is from Bismarck and joined the National Guard shortly before his graduation from Century High School in 2011

The soldier injured in the incident is 23 year old Specialist Ian Placek from Bismarck.

Placek is in stable condition at the Landstuhl Hospital in Germany.

Major General David Sprynczynatyk says the primary mission of the 818th is to clear the routes for others to be able to pass through.

"And yesterday while they were on mission, they encountered a IED, Improvised Explosive Device and sadly and unfortunately it detonated very near the vehicle and as a result the two soldiers were killed and the third was injured," Major General David Sprynczynatyk said.

Sprynczynatyk says once the incident happened the company commander and the first Sergeant gathered the other soldiers from the 818th together to tell them what happened.

"From a soldier's perspective and the unit's perspective they lost one of their own, they essentially lost one of their brothers, and for that reason it will be several days before they go back out on mission, I know they'll have memorials for the two fallen soldiers, and they'll continue at the appropriate time to carry on with their mission," Sprynczynatyk said.

The 818th Engineer Company is headquartered in Williston, N.D., with a detachment in Hazen, N.D. About 100 Soldiers with the unit entered federal active-duty status on April 27, 2012.

The unit arrived for duty in Afghanistan in June.

The North Dakota National Guard will announce funeral arrangements as soon as available.

To this date, 26 North Dakota military service members from North Dakota or have close ties to the state, have died in the war on terror.

14 served with the National guard.

The Last North Dakota guard member death was in November of 2006.