Petty Officer 1st Class Nicolas D. Checque, 28, a highly decorated Navy SEAL, died of combat related injuries sustained Dec. 8 while supporting operations in Afghanistan.

WAVY-TV in Portsmouth, VA, reports that Checque, a highly-decorated combat veteran, was assigned to an East Coast-based Naval Special Warfare command. The Department of Defense confirmed that Checque was from Monroeville but currently lived in Virginia Beach, Va.

Checque was among the special forces team assigned to rescue an American doctor who had been abducted in Afghanistan. Hours after the mission was completed, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced that "a U.S. service member was killed in the operation."

Dr. Dilip Joseph was freed 11 hours after his captors released two other kidnapped staffers of his nonprofit agency, Morning Star Development, the organization said Sunday.

The Huffington Post reports that Checque was a member of SEAL Team Six, the same team killed Osama bin Laden last year. However, it's unclear whether Checque was involved in the bin Laden mission.

U.S. Rep. Tim Murphy (R-Upper St. Clair), who represents Peters Township, issued the following statement:

“We grieve deeply as a community who lost a son and a grateful nation who lost a sailor.

“Petty Officer 1st Class Nicolas Checque, in heroically performing his duties as a Navy SEAL, gave his life to save another. I ask for all to join me in praying for his family.”

Share your condolences in the comments below.