Oklahomans mourn loss of two soldiers

Oklahoma has lost another National Guardsmen in combat.

Spc. Francisco J. Briseno-Alvarez Jr., 27, of Oklahoma City, died Sunday in Laghman province, Afghanistan, of injuries suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 179th Infantry Regiment, 45th Brigade Combat Team in Stillwater.

Briseno-Alvarez Jr. was the 12th member of the Guard’s 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team to die in Afghanistan since July 29.

Three other soldiers were also injured in the attack, according to a release from the Oklahoma National Guard.

Briseno-Alvarez graduated from U.S. Grant High School in 2003 and joined the Oklahoma National Guard on Sept. 11, 2010, the Oklahoma National Guard release states.

He attended advanced individual training to become a truck driver, the release states.

His death was announced on the same day that Sgt. Mycal L. Prince was laid to rest. Reporter Bryan Dean attended the funeral for the fallen soldier Monday at The Bridge Assembly of God in Mustang.

Prince, 28, died Sept. 15 in Afghanistan when his unit was attacked with rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire.

“Mycal Prince was a soldier. He wasn’t looking for glory or fame. He was simply willing and ready when his country called,” said Capt. Jeremy Dunn, an Army chaplain who officiated the service Monday.

We’ll have more on Briseno-Alvarez Jr. and Prince in tomorrow’s print edition of The Oklahoman.

Photo by Jim Beckel: Bill Trammell, a Vietnam vet and retired from the US Air Force, stands at attention while the hearse carrying the casket of Sgt. Mycal L. Prince travels west on SH 152 after leaving the church. Trammel was among hundreds of people who stood along the path of the funeral procession.

Thank you for joining our conversation on NewsOK Now. We encourage your discussion but ask that you stay within the bounds of our commenting and posting policy.