Staff Sgt. Alex A. Viola, 29, of Keller, Texas, died Nov. 17, in Kandahar, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when his unit was attacked with an improvised explosive device while on dismounted patrol. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. Staff SGT. Alex Viola was assigned to Company B, 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), and was deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom Afghanistan. This was Viola's first deployment during his military career. He joined the Army National Guard in June 2009 as an engineer sergeant and was assigned to 1st Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne), from June 2009 to April 2010. He began his Special Forces training in April 2010 at Ft. Bragg, N.C. He graduated from Special Forces Qualification Course in June 2011, and was assigned to 1st Bn., 19th SFG (A), Camp Williams, Utah. In March 2013 Viola was assigned to 3rd Bn., 7th SFG (A), Eglin Air force Base, Fla. He was deployed to Afghanistan with that unit when he was killed. His military education includes U.S. Army Basic Airborne Course, Combat Lifesaver Course, the Warrior Leader Course, Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape Course, the Special Forces Qualification Course, the Advanced Leader Course and the Combat Diver Qualification Course. Viola's awards and decorations include the Army Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Noncommissioned Officer Development Ribbon with Numeral 2, the Army Service Ribbon, the NATO Medal, the Parachutist Badge, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Special Operations Dive Badge and the Special Forces Tab. He is survived by his parents and sister. Viola was an engineer assigned to the 7th Special Forces Group at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. He joined the Army National Guard in June 2009 and began Special Forces training in April 2010 at Fort Bragg. Viola graduated from Special Forces qualification course in June 2011 and was assigned to the 19th Special Forces Group at Camp Williams, Utah. He leaves his parents, Margaret and Frank, and a sister, Christina among others. Published in Star-Telegram on Nov. 19, 2013