FORT BRAGG -- Major Paul D. Carron, 33, of Vilseck, Germany, died Saturday, September 18, 2010 while on active duty in Qalat, Afghanistan.

Major Carron was serving with the 2nd Stryker Regiment as the Squadron Executive Officer and had been deployed in Operation Enduring Freedom since June 2010. Major Carron had a long attachment to North Carolina, both growing up in Fort Bragg and the surrounding community.

He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Infantry after graduating from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1999. Paul served the Army with distinction in a number of capacities in his eleven years of service. He deployed five times in support of both Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. In 2007, Paul was named a McArthur Leadership Award winner. In August 2008, Paul was selected to serve as the Aide de Camp for the Commanding General, United States Army Europe.

According to the Department of Defense, 33-year-old Major Paul D. Carron from Missouri died on Saturday in Qalat, Afghanistan from "injuries sustained in a non-combat related incident."

Major Carron is remembered as a Christian, loving father, husband, son and brother. He was an avid outdoor sportsman, devoted friend, and dedicated officer and soldier who devoted his life to his family, the United States Army, and to the interests of the United States of America.

He is survived by his wife Susan Abernethy Carron, daughter, Madeline, and unborn son, Luke Douglas; his parents Command Sergeant Major (Retired) Douglas and Myong Carron of Fayetteville; sister and brother-in-law Michelle and Josh Taylor of Bear, Delaware. Paul's memory will also be cherished by Susan's family, Dan and Brenda Abernethy, Michael and Sarah Abernethy, and niece Riley, all of Charlotte.

A memorial service was held Friday, September 24, 2010 in the John F. Kennedy Memorial Chapel at Fort Bragg. Interment with military honors will be held at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.