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2/3 NCO dies from blast wounds

A Hawaii-based Marine died Friday at Bethesda Naval Medical Center in Maryland from wounds suffered during a bombing late last month in Afghanistan’s Helmand province, according to reports.

Cpl. Matthew R. Lembke, 22, of Tualatin, Ore., was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, out of Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, officials said in a news release. He was a sniper, according to the Oregonian newspaper.

Lembke lost both of his legs and suffered massive internal injuries in the explosion, the newspaper reported. He had undergone several surgeries at Bethesda to combat infection.

His platoon commander, 1st Lt. Joseph Cull, wrote Lembke’s family when he learned the noncommissioned officer was wounded, the Oregonian reported. The letter praised the “severity of his character,” and noted “the profound respect all within our battalion have for [Lembke’s] professionalism and solid character.”