Marine Staff Sgt. Jay T. Collado

Died February 20, 2006 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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31, of Columbia, S.C.; assigned to Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron-267, Marine Aircraft Group-39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; attached to the Army’s 4th Infantry Division; killed Feb. 20 by an improvised explosive device near Baghdad.

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Camp Pendleton Marine killed in Iraq attack

COLUMBIA, S.C. — A 31-year-old Marine from Columbia died on Monday following an attack on his vehicle in Iraq, the Pentagon reported Wednesday.

Staff Sgt. Jay T. Collado “died from an improvised explosive device near Baghdad,” according to a statement released by the Pentagon. The statement did not say when the incident in Iraq occurred.

Marine Corps spokeswoman Sgt. Kristen Tull said Collado was on his second deployment to Iraq and was in a vehicle at the time of the incident. “I have no idea when it happened,” said Tull.

Collado had been working with the Army’s 4th Infantry Division in Iraq, but originally was assigned to a Marine unit based in Camp Pendleton, Calif., the release said.

Collado was assigned to Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 267, which is part of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force from Camp Pendleton.

— Associated Press