Soldier from Washington base killed in Afghanistan

A special forces sergeant from Joint Base Lewis McChord was killed in an explosion in Afghanistan on Tuesday.

Staff Sgt. Matthew V. Thompson, 28, was killed by an improvised explosive device while on patrol in Helmand Province, the U.S. Army Special Forces Command said Wednesday.

Thompson, a medical sergeant for the 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne), enlisted in March 2011 and had served a tour of duty in Iraq before his current tour in Afghanistan.

Thompson and other members of his unit were training and assisting Afghan soldiers when their patrol triggered the device, according to news accounts. Another U.S. soldier and six Afghan soldiers were injured.

Thompson was married and listed Irvine, California, as his hometown. He was assigned to Lewis McChord near Tacoma. He will be awarded the Bronze Star with a V for valor, a Purple Heart and Combat Infantry medals posthumously.