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 Pentagon agency charged with building and operating U.S. spy satellites recently declassified some details about a Cold War-era surveillance program called Jumpseat—a revelation it says sheds light on the importance of satellite imaging technology and how it has advanced in the decades since.
