California Marine is first service member to die in Iraq on mission against Islamic State

[Draggingtree]

Washington Post:

California Marine is first service member to die in Iraq on mission against Islamic State

By Missy Ryan October 25 at 10:27 AM

 

The Pentagon on Friday reported the first death of a U.S. military serviceman in Iraq in its new mission to combat Islamic State militants who have seized large areas of Iraq and Syria.

 

Marine Lance Cpl. Sean Neal, a 19-year-old from California, died in Baghdad on Thursday in what a Pentagon statement described as a noncombat incident. Further details about how Neal died were not immediately available.

 

Earlier this month, a Marine was deemed lost at sea after he fell from an aircraft into the Arabian Gulf.