30 October 2011

Staff Sgt. Ari R. Cullers, 28, of New London, Conn., died when a rocket-propelled grenade fired by insurgents exploded near him on October 30, 2011, in Kandahar Province, the Pentagon said.

Cullers was a wheeled vehicle mechanic with 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, based at Fort Drum in northern New York.

He joined the Army in October 2004, served in Korea and Oklahoma, and arrived at Fort Drum in December 2008, according to the military.

Cullers had previously served in Afghanistan from December 2008 to December 2009 and returned there with his unit in March 2011, according to Fort Drum public affairs.

Among his many awards and decorations are the Army Commendation Medal, four Army Achievement Medals, the Meritorious Unit Commendation, three Afghanistan Campaign Medals, the NATO Medal, the Combat Action Badge, and the Driver and Mechanic Badge, the Army said.

Cullers is survived by his mother and father.