The Department of Defense on Saturday announced the deaths of three soldiers who were supporting Operation New Dawn in Iraq.

They died June 29 in Badrah, a small hamlet in the eastern part of the country, about six miles from the Iranian border.

They died of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their unit with indirect fire, according to the Pentagon.

The three were assigned to 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, out of Fort Hood, Texas.

Killed were:

Capt. David E. Van Camp, 29, of Wheeling, W.Va.; Capt. Matthew G. Nielson, 27, of Jefferson, Iowa; and Spc. Robert G. Tenney Jr., 29, Warner Robins, Ga.

Van Camp received his commission in June 2002 as an armor officer and was assigned to the unit in February, according to the Killeen Daily Herald.

He is survived by his wife, Chelsea, his parents and extended family, according to a statement by West Virginia Senate President Earl Ray Tomblin, who is acting as governor.

Van Camp previously had been deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from August 2006 through May 2007, according to the Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette.

Nielson received his commission in May 2008 as an armor officer and had been with the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment since November.

Tenney entered active-duty service in December 2006 as a cavalry scout, according to the Killeen paper. He was assigned to Troop G, 2nd Squadron, in August 2010.

From staff reports

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