Master Sergeant Aaron C. Torian, 36, of Paducah, Ky., was assigned to the 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion, Marine Special Operations Regiment at Fort Lejeune, NC. On February 15, 2014, MSgt. Torian was killed when an improvised explosive devise detonated in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was on his sixth combat deployment.

A 1995 graduate of Thomas Stone High School, MSgt. Torian earned his bachelor’s degree in health and human performance in 2001, obtained a master’s degree in Instructional Leadership in 2003, and enlisted in the Marines shortly thereafter. In 2005, he was named 2nd Marine Division’s Noncommissioned Officer of the Year, a distinction that recognizes Marines who excel in job performance, physical fitness, and leadership skills. He was promoted to Gunnery Sergeant (Combat Meritoriously) in 2009 and to Master Sergeant in 2013.

“He felt strongly about what we, the USA, were doing and we backed him 100 percent,” his mother Esta Smith said, adding that her son is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

MSgt Torian is survived by his wife, Jurley and children Elijah, Avery, and Laura Bella.