U.S. Army SSGT
Line of Duty Death: January 11, 2020

On January 11, 2020, Army Staff Sergeant Ian McLaughlin lost his life when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device in Kandahar province, Afghanistan during his first combat deployment. SSG McLaughlin was assigned to the 307th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina. 

SSG McLaughlin joined the Army in 2012. His first assignment was with the 62nd Engineer Battalion at Fort Hood, Texas, as a horizontal construction engineer. In 2016, he was reassigned to the 82nd Airborne Division, where he ultimately became a squad leader. He was 29 at the time of his death. 

SSG McLaughlin is survived by his wife Tarah and three children.

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation has paid off the mortgage held on the McLaughlin family’s home.

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