Fort Drum soldier killed in Afghanistan attack

FORT DRUM — A soldier of the 10th Mountain Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team was killed in a small-arms attack in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

Pfc. Brian J. Backus, 21, of Saginaw Township, Mich., was a combat medic with the 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment. He joined the Army in June 2010 and deployed to Afghanistan in March, earning the Combat Medical Badge while he was there.

His survivors include a child, his parents and his brother.