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HAAF soldier killed in Afghanistan
0822-Hunter-soldier-Sgt.-Martin-Lugo
Sgt. Martin A. Lugo
A Hunter Army Airfield soldier was killed Thursday while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Sgt. Martin A. Lugo, 24, of Tucson, Arizona, died Aug. 19 in Puli Alam, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with small arms fire.  He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment.
According to a news release from the U.S. Army Special Operations Command Public Affairs at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Lugo was seriously wounded during a fire fight with insurgents in Logar Province. He was treated immediately by unit medical personnel and was quickly evacuated to the nearest treatment facility where he later died of his wounds.
Lugo enlisted in the U.S. Army in September 2004. He served as an ammunition handler, automatic rifleman, team leader and most recently as a squad leader in Company C, 1st Battalion.
“Sgt. Lugo was a true warrior who died leading his Rangers in a fierce fire fight that killed a Taliban commander and 13 other Taliban fighters in Logar Province,” said Col. Michael E. Kurilla, commander of the 75th Ranger Regiment. “He is a hero to our nation, the Army and his family.”
Lugo was on his sixth combat deployment. He previously deployed three times to Afghanistan and twice to Iraq.
“Sgt. Lugo was a phenomenal warrior who was universally respected by every member of this command,” said Lt. Col. Mike Foster, the 1st Ranger Battalion commander. “He died while protecting our nation from her enemies and we will not forget his sacrifice. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the entire Lugo family.”
He is survived by his father Martin Lugo, his mother Maria Marin, and his sister Leslie Lugo, all of Tucson, Ariz.
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