Crystal Lake soldier killed in Afghanistan

A 22-year-old suburban soldier has been killed during combat in Afghanistan.

Spc. Jason A. McLeod of Crystal Lake died Monday west of Pashmul, Afghanistan, after his unit was attacked with mortar fire, the Department of Defense said Tuesday.

Family members say McLeod was deployed to Afghanistan in May and was due to come home on leave in less than a month. They say he was a mechanic who worked on Humvees.

The 2006 graduate of Crystal Lake Central High School also served in Iraq in 2007 for about a year.

Crystal Lake Central is closed Wednesday due to the Thanksgiving holiday.

While in the Army, McLeod received numerous awards, including the Army Commendation Medal, Army Service Ribbon and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.

He's survived by his wife of more than 2 years, Aimee Ghannam, 15-month-old daughter Jocelyn, parents and two siblings.

He was assigned to the 704th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.

Associated Press contributed to this report.