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A Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson paratrooper was killed and five other soldiers were injured Tuesday by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan’s Khowst province, according to the Army.
U.S. Army Alaska spokesperson Lt. Col. Bill Coppernoll says Spc. Jeffrey Lee White Jr., 21, of Catawissa, Mo. was killed in the attack.
White served as an infantryman with the 1st Battalion (Airborne), 501st Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division at JBER. He joined the Army in 2009, arrived in Alaska in April 2010 and deployed with the airborne brigade on his first combat deployment in December.
According to a story from Missouri TV station KSDK, White was days away from coming home on leave, with friends and family planning a huge bonfire to celebrate his return.
The next of kin have been notified.