LINCOLN PARK (WWJ/AP) - The U.S. military says a 28-year-old soldier from Lincoln Park has died of wounds sustained from a noncombat incident in Syria.
The Defense Department says Private First Class Michael Thomason died Monday in Kobani. Details of the incident weren't immediately released.
Amber Martinez, his sister, told WJBK-TV that Thomason apparently died in a shooting, and he was supposed to be on patrol at the time of his death.
"He wants to help people, that can't help themselves, and that's why he joined it," Martinez told the TV station. "(He said) 'I'm doing this because I want to protect my country. I want to protect people who can't protect themselves.'"
Thomason was supporting Operation Inherent Resolve. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division from Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
