Fallen Soldier: Dick A. Lee, Jr.

Staff Sergeant Dick A. Lee Jr., 31, of Orange Park, Fla., died April 26, 2012, in Ghazni Province, Afghanistan, from injuries when his Humvee drove over a bomb. He was on his fourth tour of duty, having served previously in both Iraq and Afghanistan. His dog, Fibi, was also killed in the explosion.

Lee was attached to the 529th Military Police Company, 95th MP Battalion, 18th MP Brigade in Sembach, Germany. He deployed to Afghanistan in January 2012.

SSG Lee was a 2000 graduate from Keystone Heights High School where he played as a linebacker for the football team. He joined the army to become a military police K-9 handler.

SSG Lee, whom friends called “Alson,” loved being a dog handler so much that he turned down promotions to keep doing it. “He was the best handler and the best NCO I had in my kennels,” said SFC Joseph Jones, his kennel master “He wasn’t just good, he was great.”

Surviving SSgt. Lee is his wife, Katherine Lee, whom he met in the military police, and two sons, David.