R.I.P. Brandon T. Islip

(Taken from www.wavy.com of Nov. 20) WASHINGTON - The military Wednesday identified a solider missing in Afghanistan since early November as Sgt. Brandon T. Islip, 23, of Richmond.

Islip, along with Spc. Benjamin Sherman of Plymouth, Mass, went missing Nov. 4 in the Bala Barghab area of Badghis during a routine resupply mission. Local police said the two were swept away by the river as they tried to recover airdropped supplies that had accidentally fallen into the water.

Badghis is located on Afghanistan's border with Turkmenistan.

Both men were members of the 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, out of Fort Bragg, N.C.

Sherman's body was found by military divers on Nov. 11.

Islip is listed by the military as Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown (DUSTWUN).

Officials say search and recovery efforts are still ongoing, and the incident is under investigation.