1st Lt. Weston C. Lee, 25, of Bluffton, Ga., was killed Saturday when an improvised explosive device detonated near his patrol unit outside of Mosul, Iraq. He was a paratrooper assigned to the 1st Battalion, 325th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division. “1st Lt. Wes Lee was an extraordinary young man and officer. He was exactly the type of leader that our paratroopers deserve,” said Col. Pat Work, commander of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, in a Department of Defense press release. “Our sincere condolences and prayers are with his family and friends during this difficult time.” Lee was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, and the Meritorious Service Medal.
The Air Force has finished modifying and testing the new VC-25B Bridge aircraft that will serve as a temporary Air Force One, the service announced May 1. All that’s left now is to finish painting the jet before it starts flying this summer.