Pasadena soldier among 5 killed in Afghanistan

PASADENA, Calif. (KABC) -- A 24-year-old Pasadena man was identified as one of the five U.S. soldiers killed in Afghanistan during an airstrike called in to help them after they were ambushed by the Taliban.

Army Staff Sgt. Scott Studenmund died Monday during the apparent friendly fire incident that has been called one of the deadliest during the war.

Studenmund was deployed in January and was expected to return home in August, family members said.

"He was tenacious. He was fierce," said Mary Lyon, a family friend. "From a very early age, he knew he wanted to serve this country."

Studenmund graduated from Flintridge Preparatory School in La Canada in 2008. He later attended Pitzer College, but dropped out after a year to pursue his dream of becoming a Green Beret soldier.

"Scott was a beloved member of his class, an athlete and a scholar and is being mourned by the entire Flintridge Preparatory School community. He was a brave, virtuous patriot," headmaster Peter Bachmann said.

The City of Pasadena is expected to lower its flags to half-mast on Wednesday to honor Studenmund.

"It's very sad and my heart is hurting," neighbor Thea Winner said.