The Department of Defense says a 26-year-old soldier on his third deployment to Afghanistan has been killed by an explosive during combat operations.

The News Tribune ( http://is.gd/7lNxQ6) says Staff Sgt. Kenneth Wade Bennett, of Glendora, Calif., was killed Saturday in the Sperwan Gar area of Kandahar province. The military announced his death Sunday night.

Bennett was assigned to the 53rd Ordnance Company of the 3rd Explosive Ordnance Battalion at Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma, Wash.

He joined the Army in 2004 and trained to become an explosive ordnance technician in 2006. He has been assigned to Lewis-McChord since 2009.

He is the 32nd Lewis-McChord soldier to die in Afghanistan this year.

---

Information from: The News Tribune, http://www.thenewstribune.com