US Marine Killed In Afghanistan By Suicide Bomber

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Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Caleb L. Erickson with his family.

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Caleb L. Erickson, 20, died Feb. 28 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan, according to the Department of Defense.

He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Erickson wrote on his Facebook page that he graduated from Waseca High School in Minnesota in 2012. He joined the Marines soon after, and attended boot camp at MCRD San Diego.

His sister, Rue Erickson, told Minneapolis television station WCCO-TV in an email that her brother was killed when a suicide bomber attacked another vehicle in his convoy:

“His brain trauma was so severe that it shut down the rest of his body.”

The Associated Press reports Erickson's remains are due to arrive at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Monday.