1st Lt. Weston C. Lee, 25, of Bluffton, Ga., was killed Saturday when an improvised explosive device detonated near his patrol unit outside of Mosul, Iraq. He was a paratrooper assigned to the 1st Battalion, 325th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division. “1st Lt. Wes Lee was an extraordinary young man and officer. He was exactly the type of leader that our paratroopers deserve,” said Col. Pat Work, commander of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, in a Department of Defense press release. “Our sincere condolences and prayers are with his family and friends during this difficult time.” Lee was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, and the Meritorious Service Medal.
Air Force Gen. Jacqueline D. Van Ovost—a trailblazer and one of the first 10 women to reach a four-star rank across the U.S. military—retired and passed control of U.S. Transportation Command to Air Force Gen. Randall Reed on Oct. 4, finishing an eventful tenure at TRANSCOM.