Rockford family says son killed in Afghanistan

A soldier from Rockford who had plans to attend college when his U.S. Army enlistment ended was killed by a bomb blast in Afghanistan as he returned from a patrol, his family said Saturday.

Daniel Morgan said Army officials came to his home to tell him that his son, Pfc. David John Badie, had died Friday. Badie was home in June, on leave before his deployment, and asked his father in a conversation away from his siblings to tell his family how much he loved them if he were to be wounded or killed.

"He enjoyed what he was doing and was proud to be in the Army," Morgan said. "At the same time, he knew the risks. He wanted to remind me how very much he cared for his brothers and sisters. He asked me to tell them that if the worst happened."

The worst happened on Friday as his son's unit was returning to its base after a mine detection mission, Morgan said. Army casualty affairs officers arranged for Morgan to speak with his son's commanding officer, who told him that somehow the unit missed an improvised explosive near its camp, Morgan said.

"He said it happened very quick and that my son didn't suffer," Morgan said. "He told me my son never knew what hit him."

NATO officials said roadside bombs killed five NATO soldiers Friday in eastern Afghanistan. They did not release the nationalities of those soldiers but most troops in those eastern areas are American.

The dead soldier's sister, Kassandra Badie, said her brother had changed his life around since enlisting two years ago.

Before joining the Army, Badie said her brother "sowed some wild oats." When he visited in June, she noticed a change.

"My brother and I talked about everything," Badie said. "He was really my best friend. He seemed more focused when he came home. He had goals. He wanted to go to college when he got out of the Army."

Department of Defense listings of Afghanistan casualties had not been updated as of Sunday evening. Badie's unit was not immediately available.