New informatioin on Clay Co. soldier death

INDIANAPOLIS (WTHI) - An Indiana National Guardsman from Clay County, Indiana was killed in action Monday while serving in Afghanistan.

Spc. Arronn Fields of Knightsville, Ind. Had been conducting a mounted patrol in Qual-ah-ye Mirza Jal, Afghanistan when he was attacked with a rocket propelled grenade.

Spc. Fields, 27, was deployed in January with the 381st Military Police Company, 81st Troop Command as part of a multi-unit military police force from Indiana.

Fields graduated from Northview High School in 2003. His teachers remembered him as a quiet, determined and caring student.

“I had Arronn my second year here,” remembered teacher Laura Boyce. “He was a freshman and he was quiet … He was a special kid.”

Though he was voted the shyest boy in his class, teacher Christy Casassa said Fields blossomed after joining the military in 2006.

“I kept in touch with him after he graduated,” Casassa said. “When he joined the military, that’s when I noticed that he started to open up. That’s when he found his niche.”

“It’s sad, because he was a special person and obviously found something that he could do well,” Boyce said. “He was defending us … he was somebody good.”

Authorities have not released details on funeral arrangements or on when Fields’ remains will be returned.