2 Fort Lewis soldiers killed in Philippines

Two Special Forces soldiers assigned to the Army's 3rd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Lewis were killed Tuesday on Jolo Island in the Philippines when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb, the Department of Defense disclosed Thursday.

They were identified as Sgt. 1st Class Christopher D. Shaw, 37, of Markham, Ill., and Staff Sgt. Jack M. Martin III, 26, of Bethany, Okla.

An Army Special Operations Command release said Shaw, a native of Natchez, Miss., was on his second deployment to the Philippines. He was assigned to the 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Lewis in 1999.

According to the release, he is survived by a wife, Attina, and five children, at Fort Lewis.

"Chris was a man who deeply loved his family and believed that he was making a difference in the fight against terror," a family statement said.

Martin, a native of Maquoketa, Iowa, was in his first deployment to the Philippines, the release said. He also had served in Iraq. He had been in the Army since 2001 and was selected for the Special Forces qualification course in 2004.

He is survived by his wife, Ashley, in Tacoma.