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Marine From Fairhaven Is Killed In Afghanistan

Matthew Rodriguez, in an undated yearbook photo (Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School)
Matthew Rodriguez, in an undated yearbook photo (Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School)

A U.S. Marine from the southeastern Massachusetts town of Fairhaven has died in Afghanistan.

Lance Cpl. Matthew Rodriguez was killed while conducting combat operations in the nation's Helmand Province on Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Defense said Thursday.

The department did not release any additional details about his death.

The 19-year-old was a 2012 graduate of Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School, where he specialized in plumbing, according to the school's superintendent, Linda Enos.

"I was having a conversation with his shop instructors, and they said, 'He was just a really good boy, very excited about graduating, and very excited about going into the service,' " Enos told WBUR.

Rodriguez had been assigned to the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, out of Camp Pendleton in California.

This article was originally published on December 12, 2013.

This program aired on December 12, 2013. The audio for this program is not available.

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Benjamin Swasey Digital Manager
Ben is WBUR's digital news manager.

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