A Colville man with family ties to the Snoqualmie Valley was killed Friday, July 15, in Afghanistan.

Army Staff Sergeant Wyatt A. Goldsmith, 28, died after an attack by Afghan insurgents in the Helmland Province. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group from Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

Goldsmith is the son of John and Lorie Goldsmith of Colville. Both of his parents were active in law enforcement, and served consecutively as commander of the North Bend sub-station of the King County Sheriff’s Department, John from 1987 to 1990, and Lorie for the following few years.

City of North Bend officials and staff expressed sympathy for the Goldsmith family.

“It is with a heavy heart that we extend our condolences to the Goldsmith’s in the loss of their son,” said Mayor Ken Hearing.

Goldsmith was born in Redmond on September 21, 1982, and joined the U.S. Army in 2004 as a Special Forces recruit. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, and the Meritorious Service Medal.