PORTLAND, Ore. -- A West Linn soldier was killed by an explosive in Afghanistan on Saturday.
The body of Spc. Elijah John-Miles Rao will arrive in Delaware Tuesday.
Rao served two tours in Iraq before his June deployment to Afghanistan. He was fatally injured when a roadside bomb detonated near his convoy, which had stopped upon the site of a recent IED detonation, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.
Rao, a 2001 graduate of West Linn High School, leaves behind a wife and 21-month-old daughter. The family was stationed near Fort Sill in Lawton, Okla.
The 26-year-old served as a meteorological technician and became the 21st Oregonian to die in Operation Enduring Freedom since October 2001. His family called him a "kind and gentle hearted" warrior who was also a loving and honorable son.
The Army awarded Rao a Purple Heart for his service in Iraq and he also had been recommended for a Bronze Star, according to his family.
Rao will be laid to rest at Willamette National Cemetery.
There have been 932 American fatalities in the Afghan war. In 2009, at least 259 soldiers in the NATO coalition have died from IED attack, according to the non-governmental agency iCasualties, which compiles statistics on various conflicts across the globe.
