The Navy SEAL who was killed in northern Iraq Tuesday has been identified as Charlie Keating IV, the grandson of the man at the center of the notorious savings and loan scandal from the late 1980s.
The firefight occurred after Islamic State fighters brushed past Kurdish forces and attacked with small arms and car bombs.
Keating, 31, was the third combat death involving a U.S. service member since the U.S. military sent advisers there in 2014.
Keating had been two miles away from the front lines of the battle between the terrorist group and the Kurds. Defense officials said there was no reason to believe Islamic State forces had been aware U.S. troops were at that facility at the time.
“He was not on the front lines, and it turns out that being two miles away from the battle between ISIL and Iraqi forces is a dangerous place to be,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters Tuesday.
According to the Arizona Republic, Keating was remembered by friends and family as a renowned long-distance runner at Arcadia High School in Phoenix and Indiana University, where he set multiple records.
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has ordered the lowering of state flags starting Wednesday until the day of Keating’s interment.
