NORFOLK, Va. — The American killed in an attack in Libya was a former Marine who served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and later became a security consultant.
David Berry was killed Tuesday when a gunman stormed a luxury hotel in the Libyan capital of Tripoli.
He was last employed as a contractor by Crucible LLC of Fredericksburg, which says it provides "global security solutions" to the U.S. government and multinational corporations to people "who live and work in dangerous and austere locations worldwide."
Cliff Taylor, Crucible's chief operating officer, declined to provide details about Berry's assignment Wednesday, citing security concerns.
Berry had been working in Libya since July as a security manager, according to his LinkedIn profile. Before that, he worked in Lebanon for another company training and advising Lebanese Armed Forces. He also did consulting work for a Colorado-based company that says it provides government and corporate clients with counterterrorism and counterespionage services.
Berry's path to private security work is common among former members of the military that work in intelligence and special operations. Berry joined the Marines in 2000 while living in Arizona and left the military in 2012.
During that time, he was an infantry rifleman, an intelligence specialist and a special operations capabilities specialist, according to a summary of his military record provided by the Marines. He also had attended the Army's prestigious Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, where he studied Arabic.
He was last assigned to a special operations support detachment at Camp Pendleton, California. He had also served in the 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion and the 1st Intelligence Battalion, which are also based at Camp Pendleton.
"Dave was a great Marine with a rarely-seen level of loyalty for the guys around him. He was a true friend who always put others before himself," according to a fundraising page started by Berry's friends to donate to his wife and children.
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Associated Press Researcher Rhonda Shafner contributed to this report.
