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Hernando High grad dies in Iraq
Lea R. Mills had been in Iraq for only six weeks when a roadside bomb killed him.
By JONATHAN ABEL and ASJYLYN LODER
Published April 28, 2006
BROOKSVILLE - Lea R. Mills, a 2002 graduate of Hernando High School, was killed while on patrol in Iraq. His family received the news early Friday morning.
Mills joined the Marines after graduation but had been deployed in Iraq for only six weeks when an improvised explosive device took his life. according to his father, Rob Mills.
"Lea, ever since he was a little boy, always wanted to be in the service," his father said. "He felt he needed to go and he wanted to go, so he volunteered."
He was married to his high school sweetheart, Keesha Mills, and they lived in Oceanside Calif.
Lea Mills had asked to be buried in White Plains, Miss., on a family plot there. His father said the family plans to have a memorial service in Hernando County after the funeral.
"He loved what he did. He was very proud of what he did," Rob Mills said. "We're extremely proud of him. He died for what he believed in."
[Last modified April 28, 2006, 17:02:12]
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