by Nancy Montgomery

First Sgt. Michael Curry and Italian Carabinieri Denis Frison shared many things in common. Both were well-decorated paratroopers who deployed repeatedly, spoke English fluently and enjoyed life in this small Italian town. And both men, friends for several years, died young.

Frison died at age 32 in July, 2006, of leukemia that his father said was caused by chemical exposure during a deployment. Curry, of the 173rd Airborne Brigade, died the following July. He was 37 when his Humvee hit an IED during a route-clearing mission in Afghanistan.

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Source: http://www.stripes.com/