Marine from Hoover killed in Afghanistan

Published 12:16 pm Thursday, April 29, 2010

A Marine from Hoover was killed in Afghanistan April 28.

Lance Cpl. Thomas E. Rivers Jr., 22, died while supporting combat operations in the province of Helmand, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.

Rivers, a rifleman, was assigned to 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

He joined the Marines in June 2007 and was promoted to lance corporal in August 2008.

Rivers was in Iraq from July 2008-February 2009 for Operation Iraqi Freedom, and had been deployed to Afghanistan since March 2010.

His awards include the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Afghanistan Campaign Medal and Iraq Campaign Medal.