GRAFENWÖHR, Germany — A memorial will be held Tuesday for a 172nd Infantry "Blackhawks" Brigade soldier who was killed in action in Iraq.

Spc. Israel Candelaria Mejias, 28, of San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico, died of wounds sustained when a mine detonated near him Sunday during combat operations, according to a Department of Defense press statement Wednesday.

Mejias was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment in Task Force 3rd Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, out of Grafenwöhr, the statement said.

The 172nd Rear Detachment commander, Lt. Col. Eric Stetson, said Thursday that a memorial for Mejias, the first 172nd soldier to die in combat in Iraq during the current deployment, will be held Tuesday, at 1:30 p.m., at Grafenwöhr Community Chapel.

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