1LT Jeffrey F. Deprimo   HARRISBURG – A Pennsylvania Army National Guard soldier was killed in action and two others injured early Tuesday morning near the town of Ghazni, Afghanistan. Killed was 1LT Jeffrey F. Deprimo, 35, Pittston, Pa., of Delta Company, 1-109th Infantry, West Pittston, Pa., when his Humvee was struck by an improvised explosive device while on a mission to assess medical facility construction for the Afghan people. Deprimo, a civilian employee at Barber Ford, Exeter, Pa., was serving as the security force platoon leader for a Provincial Reconstruction Team near Ghazni and had been commander of the lead convoy vehicle during the attack. Also killed in the attack were a Navy lieutenant and an interpreter serving with the PRT. “First Lt. Deprimo was an extremely professional military officer who was respected by his leaders, peers and subordinates,” said Cmdr. Jason B. Burke, commander of the PRT, Ghazni. “He had great attention to detail in his mission planning and was dedicated to ensuring the security of his personnel. He will be sorely missed.” “Jeff was a tremendously energetic officer and leader who strove for excellence and cared deeply about his soldiers,” said Maj. Gen. Jessica L. Wright, state adjutant general. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to his friends and family as our entire Pennsylvania National Guard family and the commonwealth mourn his loss.” The driver and gunner for the vehicle, both Pennsylvania National Guard soldiers, were injured in the attack and evacuated to Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan. Lieutenant Deprimo will be posthumously awarded a Purple Heart and Combat Action Badge. More than 700 Pennsylvania National Guard soldiers are currently in Afghanistan on a one-year deployment for the 3-103 Armor, Lewisburg, Pa.  The unit is scheduled to return in December. Thirty-one Pennsylvania National Guard soldiers have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Deprimo is the fourth Pennsylvania National Guard soldier fatally injured in Afghanistan and its third officer to be killed in action during the Global War on Terror. Lieutenant Deprimo was a 1996 honors graduate from Marywood University, Scranton, Pa., with a bachelor’s degree in Music.