Justin McNeley, left, and the other unidentified missing Navy sailor appear in a pamphlet. The Navy has not yet confirmed the identity of the dead man.

A Navy sailor killed in a dangerous region of Afghanistan was 30-year-old Justin McNeley, according to his uncle, state Rep. Jim Kerr, and an e-mail McNeley's father sent to work colleagues.

McNeley, a noncommissioned officer and father of two, was due to return to the U.S. in August, Kerr said.

"He was young, full of energy, a good kid and a patriot defending his country," said Kerr, R-Littleton.

A Navy spokesman declined to confirm the information and said the process to notify family members was ongoing.

"The thoughts and prayers of our entire Navy go out to the missing sailors serving in Afghanistan and their families," Adm. Gary Roughead, chief of Naval Operations, said in a statement. "Forces on the

A pamphlet, appealing for information on one of two US soldiers who went missing from their base, is seen in Kabul on July 25, 2010. An extensive ground and air search was underway on July 25 for two American soldiers who went missing in Taliban territory in Afghanistan, military officials said, amid fears one of them had been killed. Nothing had been heard of the two, an official from NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) told AFP. AFP PHOTO/SHAH Marai (Photo credit should read SHAH MARAI/AFP/Getty Images) (AFP | SHAH MARAI)
ground in Afghanistan are doing everything they can to locate and safely return our missing shipmates."

Afghan and American forces last week were carrying out an aerial and ground operation in Logar Province, where the two men were attacked. They were last seen leaving a military base in Kabul in an armored sport utility vehicle Friday afternoon.

A spokesman for the Taliban said one of the sailors was killed and the other captured and that both were in "a safe place."

McNeley's father, a deputy fire marshal with the city of Encinitas, Calif., e-mailed colleagues Monday.

"I regret to pass this information on, but I was informed by the U.S. NAVY this morning that my son was the one that was killed in the conflict," George McNeley wrote.

The e-mail was first obtained by The North County Times in Escondido, Calif., and an NBC affiliate in San Diego.

McNeley's mother in Kingman, Ariz., met Monday afternoon with representatives of the Department of Defense.

Other family members declined to comment.

"To me it's like a flashback to when my cousin was killed in Vietnam. It brings back all those memories," Kerr said. "My wife is very distraught as is Justin's mother. The family is very close."

The Associated Press contributed to this report. Jessica Fender: 303-954-1244 or jfender@denverpost.com