Jason Dale Lewis

Sunday, July 08 2007 @ 03:03 AM EDT

Boston Globe -- BROOKFIELD, Conn. --A Brookfield native serving as a U.S. Navy SEAL was among three sailors killed Friday during combat in Baghdad, the Navy announced Saturday.

Petty Officer 1st Class Jason Dale Lewis, 30, died when an improvised bomb detonated under the Humvee in which he was riding, officials said.

Lewis joined the Navy in 1996, graduated the following year from basic SEAL training and joined a West Coast special warfare team.

He transferred to the East Coast in January 2006, and was based at Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base in Virginia at the time of his most recent deployment to the Middle East.

Lewis, who lived in Virginia Beach, is survived by a wife and three children, Navy officials said.

Capt. Chaz Heron, commander of Naval Special Warfare Group Two, said in a written statement Saturday that Lewis and the other sailors "embodied the Navy core values of honor, courage and commitment."

The special warfare community, he said, "will miss them and will ensure they are never forgotten."

The blast also killed fellow sailors Robert McRill, 42, of Lake Placid, Fla.; and Steven Daugherty, 28, of Barstow, Calif. They also were based in Virginia at the time of their deployment.

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