LINE OF FIRE

Pentagon IDs Soldier Killed Near Mosul

Described as an “extraordinary young man and officer.”

A U.S. soldier killed during a patrol near Mosul, Iraq, has been identified as 25-year-old 1st Lt. Weston C. Lee of Bluffton, Georgia. The Pentagon said Lee was killed after an improvised explosive device detonated while he was assisting partnered forces on a patrol Saturday. Lee was with the 82nd Airborne Division. He joined the Army in March 2015 and was deployed to Iraq in December 2016. He was killed on his first deployment. “First Lieutenant Wes Lee was an extraordinary young man and officer. He was exactly the type of leader that our paratroopers deserve,” Col. Pat Work, commander of 2nd Brigade Combat Team, said in a statement released Sunday. Lee, who was already a decorated officer, was awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and the Meritorious Service Medal posthumously.