US Navy SEAL Petty Officer 1st Class Nicolas Checque

US Navy SEAL Petty Officer 1st Class Nicolas Checque, twenty-eight, died from a head wound sustained during an operation in Afghanistan.

He was part of the SEAL team which rescued an American doctor, who had been kidnapped.

The operation took place Saturday night, Checque died Sunday morning.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said, on Sunday, "The special operators who conducted this raid knew they were putting their lives on the line to free a fellow American from the enemy's grip. They put the safety of another American ahead of their own, as so many of our brave warriors do every day and every night. In this fallen hero, and all of our special operators, Americans see the highest ideals of citizenship, sacrifice and service upheld. The torch of freedom burns brighter because of them."

Checque originally came from Monroeville, Pennsylvania, before joining the Navy, and eventually becoming a SEAL.

He joined the Navy in 2002 after graduating from high school, according to a brief service record provided by the Defense Department. After attending recruit training in Illinois and advanced training in Virginia, he entered the SEAL program in April 2003.

Checque was assigned to his first SEAL unit in August 2004, and transferred to SEAL Team Six, in September 2008.

His former high school superiors and classmates at Norwin High School in North Huntington, Pennsylvania, remembered him as diligent and enthused about joining the military. "He worked hard everyday and never complained," his former wrestling coach Rich Ginther told CNN affiliate WPXI. "I remember his senior year him basically telling us what he was training for, and it was to get in special forces."

The current vice principal, who graduated two classes ahead of Checque, called him a role model for the current students.  "It's scary to hear these kind of stories that come out," said Micheal Choby, "but I'm going to testament to the kind of man Nick built himself to be for these kids who are here aspiring to be in the military."

Former classmate Stefanie Stewart says she sat next to Checque on the school bus almost every day.

"He always knew he wanted to go into the military," she said. "He was a very driven individual, had a very keen sense of mind. A strong minded person. But underneath that, you could tell he had a good heart."

Checque, who enlisted in the Navy in October of 2002, was the recipient of the following awards and decorations: Bronze Star Medal w/Combat 'V', Joint Service Commendation Medal w/Combat 'V', Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medal w/Combat 'V', Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Combat Action Ribbon (2), Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.