U.S. Army Specialist Donald L. Nichols, 21, of Shell Rock, Iowa, assigned to the 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry Regiment, Iowa Army National Guard, based in Waterloo, Iowa, died April 13, 2011, in Laghman province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device. He is survived by his mother and stepfather, Roger and Becky Poock; his father and stepmother, Jeff and Jeanie Nichols; and his brothers, Nick and Joe.