Army Sgt. John Mele

Died September 14, 2007 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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25, of Bunnell, Fla.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.; died Sept. 14 in Arab Jabour, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit during combat operations.

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Florida soldier originally from Union City killed in Iraq

The Associated Press

UNION CITY, Tenn. — A soldier with family in Tennessee and Florida was killed during combat in Iraq, the Department of Defense said.

Sgt. John Mele, 25, of Bunnell, Fla., died Sept. 14 in Arab Jabour, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.

Mele’s family, including his parents, Michael and Linda Mele, and brothers, Michael and Nicholas, all live in Union City.

He leaves a wife, Jennie Mele, and their daughter, Clarissa Mele, age 6.

One of the soldier’s longtime friends, Steven Herane, said he talked with Mele by telephone last week and Mele had logged onto his MySpace account about eight hours before he was killed.

Mele was a military police officer on his third tour of duty in Iraq, Herane said.

Funeral arrangements were incomplete Sept. 18, but a family friend said burial will be in Arlington National Cemetery, where Mele’s grandfather, Michael J. Mele, is buried. The grandfather served in World War II.