Army Spc. Justin R. Pellerin

Died August 20, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

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21, of Boscawen, N.H.; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.; died Aug. 20 in FOB Shank, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle.

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Concord-area man killed in Afghanistan

The Associated Press

CONCORD, N.H. — A 21-year-old soldier from Boscawen was killed in Afghanistan when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle, the Pentagon said Saturday.

Pentagon officials say Spc. Justin R. Pellerin, 21, died Thursday in Wardak Province from wounds suffered in the attack.

He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.

The Concord Monitor reports that Pellerin, a 2006 Concord High School graduate, left for his first tour in Afghanistan in January.

Josh Bisson, a childhood friend and the best man at Pellerin’s wedding, said Pellerin was scheduled to return to the United States on Dec. 15.

He said Pellerin married 21-year-old Chelsey Pellerin, his high school sweetheart and “the love of his life,” in July 2008, adding that the two hoped to move to New York when Pellerin returned.

Bisson described his friend as a funny man who loved American muscle cars and had decided to join the military in hopes of “doing something good” for other people.

“He’d give the shirt off his back for anyone,” Bisson said. “Everyone he met he was friends with. He had no rough edges, everybody loved him.”

Louis Chouinard of Littleton, Pellerin’s grandfather, said the young soldier “had it in his mind that he wanted to make a difference, so that’s why he did what he did,” Chouinard said. “He was just a great kid.”

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Funeral held for Pellerin

The Associated Press

PEMBROKE, N.H. — Family and friends paid tribute this weekend to a soldier killed in Afghanistan.

A private funeral was held Saturday for Army infantryman Spc. Justin R. Pellerin of Concord, N.H., who died last week from wounds suffered when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle. He was 21.

Close friends remember him as a dedicated soldier with a sense of humor.

Friend Geordan Rule told WMUR-TV that Pellerin was fearless, always ready for any challenge.

The service was held at the Grace Capital Church in Pembroke.

Pellerin will be buried Tuesday at the state Veterans Cemetery in Boscawen.