Wyoming troop deaths 20 years apart bookend Afghanistan war

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — When a 20-year-old Wyoming soldier was among the last U.S. casualties in the Afghanistan war, it released one of the biggest outpourings of grief and sympathy since a 20-year-old Wyoming soldier was among the war’s first casualties.

Marine Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum, of Jackson, was among 13 U.S. soldiers killed in a suicide bombing Aug. 26 at the Kabul airport.

Almost two decades ago, Army Ranger Spc. Jonn Edmunds, of Cheyenne, died in a helicopter crash.

In between, almost 2,500 U.S. troops have died in the conflict, most with far less attention than the two Wyoming men got.