A Fort Lewis Stryker soldier from Maine was killed Monday in Afghanistan.
Pfc. Jordan M. Brochu of Oakland, Maine, was serving in the 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, according to the office of Maine Gov. John Baldacci.
Brochu is the seventh soldier from the brigade killed in the past two weeks. All seven deaths have come from the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment.
“Our deepest sympathies go out to the family and friends of Private Brochu,” Baldacci said in a news release. “Jordan was dedicated to the military and to public service. On behalf of the state, I want to express our most sincere condolences.”
Brochu’s death means 324 soldiers with Washington ties – either from the state or serving at one of its military installations – have been killed in American military operations since 2001.
No description of the attack was provided, and the Pentagon has not released any more details.
NATO’s International Security Assistance Force, which oversees military operations in Afghanistan, reported one death from a roadside bomb and two deaths from a firefight with insurgents.
Both events took place in the country’s south on Monday, although it hasn’t been confirmed that Brochu was one of those fatalities.
The Pentagon also announced Tuesday the death of a Marine killed Monday in the southern province of Helmand.
The Marines and the Stryker soldiers are in the midst of ongoing fighting with Taliban militants in southern Afghanistan.
The 3,900-member Fort Lewis brigade – the first unit of its kind in Afghanistan – took over responsibility of portions of Kandahar and Zabul provinces last month.
Baldacci spoke with the family Tuesday afternoon, his office said.
Calls from The News Tribune to Brochu’s family’s home in Oakland weren’t returned.
“Jordan’s mother said that her son wanted to make his family and his community proud,” the governor said. “He did that with his service. He has made us all very proud.”
Scott Fontaine: 253-320-4758
scott.fontaine@thenewstribune.com
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