Two paratroopers from Fort Richardson were killed in Afghanistan this week when their vehicle was destroyed by an improvised explosive device, the Army announced Thursday evening.

The two -- Staff Sgt. Clayton P. Bowen and Pfc. Morris L. Walker -- died Monday morning, Alaska time. Two other soldiers were injured in the incident, which occurred in Dila District, Paktika Province.

Bowen and Walker were assigned to Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Regiment, 4th Airborne Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division from Fort Richardson.

Bowen, 29, was from San Antonio, Texas. He joined the Army in April 1998. Walker, 23, was from Chapel Hill, N.C. He joined the Army in September 2008.

Both men were assigned to Fort Richardson in early 2009.