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MacDill airman killed in Iraq identified

First Lt. Joseph Helton

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TBO.com

Published: September 9, 2009

Updated: 09/09/2009 07:24 pm

TAMPA - First Lt. Joseph Helton has been identified as the MacDill Air Force airman who died Tuesday in Iraq, the U.S. Department of Defense announced today.

Helton, 24, of Monroe, Ga., was traveling in a military vehicle near Baghdad when an improvised explosive device detonated. He died from his wounds.

Helton, a member of the U.S. Air Force, was assigned to the 6th Air Mobility Wing at MacDill Air Force Base.

He also was a 2007 graduate of the Air Force Academy in Colorado and the 11th killed serving in Iraq.

He is the fourth member of the 6th Air Mobility Wing who has died in action since Sept. 11, 2001.

Helton graduated from the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. He has been based at MacDill Air Force Base since 2007, and he was deployed to Iraq in the fall of 2008, said First Lt. Rebecca Heyse, a spokeswoman at MacDill Air Force Base.

"Joe was an amazing airman and defender who volunteered to lead our best in Iraq," Col. Lawrence Martin, the 6th Air Mobility Wing commander, said in a statement. "We are deeply saddened by his loss and very proud of his service."

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