Shelby Township Soldier Killed in Afghanistan

A local man has been killed fighting for his country in Afghanistan. 

Spc. Kyle B. McClain, 25, died Wednesday in Salim Aka, Afghanistan, the Department of Defense announced Thursday night. McClain was assigned to 1433rd Engineer Company, 507th Engineer Battalion, 177th Military Police Brigade, Kalamazoo, Mich. 

His mother, Geraldine McClain, told the Detroit Free Press that her son had been in Afghanistan for about six weeks after tours in Korea and Iraq; she told the newspaper they were clearing roadways of IEDs when he was killed. Four other Michigan soldiers were injured in the explosion. 

“He is a hero to us,” she said.

McClain, who grew up in the Rochester area, and is a 2005 graduate of , lived in Shelby Township with his wife, according to the Department of Defense. 

Geraldine McClain told the Free Press her son, who was adopted, was a "gift to us" and a "wonderful treasure."

More than 2,000 American troups have died in Afghanistan in the 10-year effort known as Operation Enduring Freedom.

McClain is the third Shelby-Township soldier to die in the War on Terror. 

• Marine Pfc. Tarryl B. Hill of Shelby Township died Feb. 7 2007 while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq. He was 19. 
• Army Pfc. Mark A. Barbret of Shelby Township died Oct. 14, 2004. Barbet died when an improvised explosive device detonated near his convoy in Ramadi, Iraq. He was 22. 
• Army Pfc. Christopher D. Kube of Shelby Township died July 14, 2007 in Baghdad when the vehicle he was riding in was struck by an improvised explosive device. He was 18.