The Department of Defense says 25-year-old Cpl. Eric Torbert Jr. of Lancaster died Dec. 18 during combat operations in Helmand province. He was assigned to the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Torbert, who graduated in 2003 from Penn Manor High School and enlisted with the Marines in 2007, told friends on Facebook in November that he was "heading to the other side of the world for a bit." He said he would be deployed from seven to 10 months.
"I send my love to my friends and family," said Torbert, who married in June.
His father, Eric Torbert, said the family was informed Saturday evening of their son's death.
"I pray to God those of you with love ones serving in the armed forces never see the Black GMC Cargo Van pull to the front of your home with two uniformed officers exiting the vehicle, knowing as they approach the front door what it is they are about to say," his father wrote in an update Sunday.
