Spc. Kenneth Clifford Alvarez, 23, of Santa Maria, Calif., died Aug. 23 in Haft Asiab, Afghanistan, from wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device during combat operations. Both soldiers were assigned to 2nd Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade, White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico. Our Hero, Army Specialist, Kenneth (Kenny) Clifford Alvarez, 23, of Santa Maria, died on August 23, 2013 while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Haft Asiab, Afghanistan, from wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device during combat operations. Kenny was born on March 28, 1990 in Santa Maria, California. Kenny is survived by his son, Isaac, and Isaac's mother Megan Lagua. His parents Ernest and Sol Alvarez, brothers Ernest Jr, and Eric, niece Trinity and nephew Roman Alvarez, maternal grandmother Josephina Bernal Flores, paternal grandparents Arnulfo and Anna Alvarez, and several aunts, uncles and cousins. Visitation will be held on Wednesday September 4, at Dudley Hoffman Mortuary from 12 noon to 2 pm, and also from 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm at St. Louis de Montfort Church. Funeral Mass will be held Thursday September 5, 2013 at 9:30 am at St. Louis de Montfort Church, 5075 Harp Road, Santa Maria California, with burial to follow at the Santa Maria Cemetery. Friends, if they so desire, may make a memorial contribution to the Isaac Alvarez Trust Fund,c/o Community Bank of Santa Maria,1421 S. Broadway, Santa Maria, Ca 93454 " I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, and I have remained faithful" 2 Timothy 4:7 Arrangements are under the direction of Dudley-Hoffman Mortuary, Crematory and Memory Gardens. They also provided the obituary information.