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Another Toa o Samoa killed in action in Afghanistan

American Samoa native and Toa o Samoa, U.S. Army Spc. Tofiga J. Tautolo, 23, died over the weekend in Afghanistan, where he was deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Tautolo, whose home of record is Wilmington, Calif., died May 27, in Bati Kot, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when his vehicle was attacked with an enemy improvised explosive device, according to the U.S. Defense Department.

Tautolo’s uncle Edward Tautolo told Samoa News that his nephew is a native of American Samoa and a 2006 graduate of Manu’a High School. “He wanted to join the military to support his family,” Edward Tautolo, a military retiree, said in a phone interview.

The body of our Toa o Samoa arrived back in the U.S. yesterday at Dover Air Force Base and funeral services are pending.

Tautolo was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.

More details online as they become available and in the print edition on Thursday.