Lake Elsinore Marine Killed in Afghanistan

LAKE ELSINORE - A U.S. Marine from Lake Elsinore was killed in combat in Afghanistan, Pentagon officials said today.

Cpl. Michael J. Palacio, 23, died Thursday in Helmand province. The circumstances of his death were not disclosed.

Palacio was assigned to the 3rd Marine Division, Marine Expeditionary Force, based in Okinawa, Japan.

According to the Department of Defense, 1,801 U.S. service members have died in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom since 2001. Just under 1,500 of those deaths are listed as ''killed in action.''