The Department of Defense announced Wednesday that 24-year-old Lance Cpl. Francisco R. Jackson of Elizabeth died Tuesday during a combat operation in Helmand province.
Jackson was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.
The Marine Corps said Jackson, a field artillery cannoneer, was killed by an improvised explosive device while conducting dismounted combat operations against enemy forces.
Jackson enlisted in the Marines in October 2009. He was on his first combat deployment.
