MINNEAPOLIS -- A Green Beret who was killed in Afghanistan this week grew up in southern Minnesota.

Army Staff Sgt. Adam Thomas attended elementary school in the St. Peter area, while his father, Will Thomas, taught at Gustavus Adolphus College. His father is now a professor at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, while his mother, Candace Thomas, heads the nonprofit Literacy Volunteers of Southwest Minnesota.

The Defense Department says Thomas died Tuesday of injuries from a roadside bomb. The 31-year-old Thomas, who was on his second deployment to Afghanistan and also served in Iraq, was on patrol with Afghan forces when he was killed. The military lists his home as Takoma Park, Maryland. His unit was based at Fort Carson, Colorado.

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