Idaho Soldier Dies in Attack in Afghanistan

A U.S. Army soldier from Idaho Falls has died from injuries sustained in an explosion in Afghanistan. Lisa Pardonnet tells Idaho’s news channel 7 that her nephew, 28-year-old Army Corporal Ryan Sharp, died at a hospital in Germany. Sharp and his platoon sergeant were on an evening reconnaissance mission in the Kandahar province when his partner slipped on a landmine.  He was killed instantly.  Sharp gathered five other soldiers to help pull the soldier's body from the wreckage.  As they made their way to the chopper, Sharp stepped on a landmine.  He took the brunt of it and shielded his fellow soldiers from sustaining major injuries.  As Sharp was being loaded into the chopper, he was coherent and was talking.  His legs, shoulder and head were wounded in the explosion.  Doctors in Afghanistan induced a coma and then transferred him to Germany for treatment. According to family, the other soldiers involved in the explosion are being treated for various injuries. Sharp is survived by his two young daughters, 6-year-old Mia and 8-year-old Sarah. The family has established the Ryan D. Sharp Memorial Fund at the WestMark Credit Union to help cover the girls' expenses.