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Soldier, 26, From Long Beach Killed In Afghanistan

LONG BEACH (CBSLA.com) — A 26-year-old soldier from Long Beach was killed in Afghanistan on Friday, the Pentagon announced.

A statement issued by the U.S. Army Special Operations Command office says Sgt. Thomas R. MacPherson died Friday in the Ghazni Province, "during a heavy firefight while conducting combat operations."

A graduate from Los Alamitos High School, MacPherson enlisted in 2007 and served as a mortarman and team leader.

He was on his fourth deployment to Afghanistan. The statement said he had also been deployed to Iraq.

MacPherson was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command.

(©2012 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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