Bomb kills Elmendorf airman in Afghanistan

Staff Sgt. Timothy Bowles, 24, was among those killed early Sunday after their vehicle was destroyed by the roadside bomb, the Air Force said.

As part of a provincial reconstruction team, Bowles was on a four-vehicle security patrol to check on a local school, officials said.

Senior Master Sgt. Stephen Lee said Bowles was in an armored Humvee with three Army soldiers when the vehicle rolled over a pressure-sensitive bomb. The two servicemen in front, including Bowles, died instantly, and the two in the back died later, he said.

The names and duty stations of the soldiers involved were not immediately available.

Bowles, a member of the 3rd Wing who was deployed to Bagram Air Base, was a fire truck mechanic assigned to the 3rd Logistics Readiness Squadron. He deployed to Afghanistan on Nov. 1, 2008, and was scheduled to remain in country for nine months.

"He was always ready to go beyond what was merely expected of him," Colonel Richard Walberg, 3rd Wing vice commander, said of Bowles in a prepared statement. "In fact, on Sunday he filled in for a comrade who was not feeling well in Afghanistan."

The airman's father told Tucson, Ariz., NBC affiliate KVOA News that his son was born at Elmendorf but grew up in Tucson. Retired Air Force Master Sgt. Louis Bowles said he learned of his son's death Sunday morning.

Timothy Bowles graduated from Tucson High School in 2002 and attended Pima Community College before joining the Air Force, his father said. Bowles arrived at Elmendorf in July 2007.

His father described him as sensitive, caring and always willing to help others. Bowles is survived by his parents and sister.

Elmendorf plans to hold a memorial service for him this week.

Find James Halpin online at adn.com/contact/jhalpin or call him at 257-4589.