WNY native loses husband in Afghanistan

BOLIVAR, N.Y. (WIVB) - A southern tier native is mourning the loss of her husband in Afghanistan.

It's a tragedy for yet another military family.

Army Specialist David Lutes isn't from western New york, but he'll be buried here, so his two young daughters will always be able to visit his grave.

David Lutes, 28, from Maryland died after being hit by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan.

It happened early last week and he was immediately flown to a military hospital in Germany.

His wife Bobbi, originally from Bolivar, flew to his bedside just in time to say good bye to her husband.

Lutes joined the Army less than three years ago, and was already on his second tour of duty in Afghanistan.

His mother-in-law says that her daughter and son-in-law talked about what would happen if he never made it back from war.

The plan was always to have her and their girls move back here from the Army base in Kentucky, to their family in western New York.

Nancy Childs said, "You try to be there for your kids but when they lose a child or a spouse, I don't even know what to say to her other than I love her and I will be there for her, and do anything I can for her."

His mother-in-law says that David wanted to join the Army to provide a better life for his family and that he wanted to go back to Afghanistan to finish the work he started.