--- title: "Pentagon identifies Marine Raider killed in non-combat incident in Iraq" description: "Staff Sgt. Samuel D. Lecce, 32, of the 3rd Marine Raider Battalion, died on Monday in support of Operation Inherent Resolve." date: "2022-12-22" modified: "2022-12-22" authors: - name: "David Roza" job_title: "YouTube Writer/Editor" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/david-roza/" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/marine-raider-killed-iraq-samuel-lecce/" categories: - "Around the World" - "Iraq" - "Marine Corps" - "Military Branches" - "News" tags: - "death" --- # Pentagon identifies Marine Raider killed in non-combat incident in Iraq ![]() *Marine Raiders with Marine Special Operations Company Charlie, 1st Marine Raider Battalion, set up a cordon around the perimeter of a building while conducting a notional direct-action night raid, Oct. 17, 2015, in Florence, Ariz. (Marine Corps photo)* The Department of Defense on Thursday identified a Marine Raider who died on Monday as the result of a non-combat-related incident in Iraq. Staff Sgt. Samuel D. Lecce, 32, of Jefferson, Tenn., was assigned to the 3rd Marine Raider Battalion, Marine Forces Special Operations Command, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, the Pentagon said in[ a statement]() on Thursday. The statement, which did not reveal the nature of the incident, said that Lecce was in Iraq in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, the ongoing U.S. military-led effort to defeat the Islamic State militant group, or ISIS, in the country and neighboring Syria. The incident is under investigation. Recent headlines indicate that the fight against ISIS is not over yet. This past month, U.S. troops captured six suspected fighters from the group, including an alleged senior operative, amid an[ uptick in raids]() in Syria. A recent[ report]() from the Lead Inspector General for Operation Inherent Resolve indicated that attacks claimed by ISIS this year “decreased dramatically in Iraq, while attacks in Syria increased significantly, marking a rebound from historically low levels the previous year.” The U.S. military’s strategy in Syria appears to involve targeting ISIS senior leaders in raids in the hope that the group will eventually collapse, Bill Roggio, a senior fellow with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank, [told]() Task & Purpose on Tuesday. That helps “keep them on their back foot ... But it’s no substitute for systematically dismantling these groups,” he said. As the Marine Corps’ special operations unit, [Marine Raiders]() are well-positioned to carry out missions against ISIS, though whether Lecce and the 3rd Marine Raider Battalion were involved in such missions is unclear. As of Monday, a[ total]() of 107 service members and two Defense Department civilians had died in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. Of the military deaths, 20 were caused by hostile action while 87 were caused by non-hostile action, while both civilian deaths were caused by non-hostile action. ## The latest on Task & Purpose - **Army investigating soldiers who** [**posed in dog bondage masks**]() - **Air Force says** [**KC-135 broadcast inappropriate**]() **call sign** - **Green Berets are testing a new** [**highly mobile 120mm mortar system**]() - [**How airmen stopped a mid-air assault**]() **on a C-17 cockpit during the Afghan airlift** - **B-2 Spirit makes** [**emergency landing, catches fire**]()**, following malfunction** **Want to write for Task & Purpose?**[ **Click here**]()**. Or check out the latest stories on**[ **our homepage.**]() ## Author David Roza writes scripts about military news for the Task & Purpose YouTube channel, and he also writes articles about military pay, benefits, health care, child care, culture, and other personnel topics on a freelance basis. Roza previously covered the Air Force and Space Force for Task & Purpose from 2019 to 2023 and for Air & Space Forces Magazine from 2023 to 2025. In the course of that reporting, he has set off a ‘Hollywood explosion’ with Air Force bomb techs, turned the (unarmed) keys of a nuclear missile bunker, hovered over the Nevada desert on an Air Force rescue helicopter, and got the best sleep of his life on the floor of a C-17 over the central Pacific. Share tips and story ideas with David at [david.roza@teamrecurrent.io]()