R.I.P. Sgt. Elijah Rao

26, of Lake Oswego, Ore.; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.; died Dec. 5 in Nuristan, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.

(The following was taken from www.koinlocal6.com) WEST LINN, Ore. - Another Oregon soldier has died in Afghanistan.

The body of Army Sgt. Elijah Rao arrived back in the United States, at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, Monday evening.

Rao had survived two tours in Iraq before being sent to Afghanistan. According to his family, he had been planning to come home on leave in January, then come home for good in May.

Apparently, Rao's convoy was stopped at the site of an explosion. He stepped out of an army humvee and a second IED exploded, killing him.

Elijah Rao had lived in Lake Oswego and West Linn. His parents reside in Vancouver, Wash. He was promoted to sergeant posthumously. Also posthumously, he was awarded the Purple Heart and has been recommended for a Bronze Star.