Army officer from Southern California killed in Afghanistan

An Army officer from Southern California has been killed in Afghanistan, the Department of Defense announced Friday.

Capt. Scott Patrick Pace, 33, from the Imperial Valley city of Brawley, was killed when his helicopter was shot down by enemy fire Wednesday in Qarah Bagh in eastern Afghanistan.

Pace, a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, was the pilot of an OH-58D Kiowa, an armed reconnaissance helicopter. He had served two tours in Iraq.

DATABASE: California's War Dead

He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, from Fort Bragg, N.C.

"He was a coach's dream and a leader," Billy Brewer, athletic director at Brawley Union High, where Pace was on the basketball and swimming teams, told the Imperial Valley Press.

Also killed in the crash was 1st Lt. Mathew Fazzari, 25, of Walla Walla, Wash.

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Photo: Capt. Scott Patrick Pace. Credit: U.S. Army