As the family and friends of a soldier from New Portland mourn his death in combat this week, a group of people halfway around the world are grieving: his Army comrades.

Soldiers will hold a memorial service today for Cpl. Andrew Hutchins, 20, at Forward Operating Base Salerno Chapel in Khost Province, said Maj. S. Justin Platt, a public affairs officer with the Army in Afghanistan.

Family members in Maine continue to plan Hutchins’ funeral. Their son, husband, brother, nephew, cousin and soon-to-be father will be laid to rest as a corporal, after being promoted posthumously this week.

Hutchins was killed Monday when insurgents attacked his base with small-arms fire. He was standing in a guard tower, Platt said via e-mail. All bases in Afghanistan are guarded 24 hours a day.

The base is in eastern Afghanistan, near the border of Pakistan, where many Taliban and al-Qaida fighters are believed to be hiding.

Though Platt said he is not allowed to release specific details about the attack, he confirmed that Hutchins was the only soldier killed. Hutchins’ unit has a variety of missions, he said, including “improving security, governance and development for the Afghan people.”

The 2008 Carrabec High School graduate was a military policeman assigned to the 3rd Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, based in Fort Campbell, Ky.

The leaders of Hutchins’ unit in Afghanistan posthumously promoted him from specialist to corporal, which is “one of the most respected ranks in the United States Army,” said Capt. Shanon Cotta, public affairs officer for the Maine Army National Guard. “(It) exemplifies his excellence, his dedication and his integrity.”

Hutchins anticipated joining the Maine Army National Guard, he said.

In Maine, Hutchins’ family issued a statement thanking people for their condolences. “The Hutchins family would like to thank the community for the wonderful outpouring of support during this difficult time,” the release reads.

Cotta said details are forthcoming about the funeral, which will be open to the public but not cameras.

“In reference to the media, the Hutchins family would ask for privacy at this time as they grieve for their loved one. Media access to the funeral service and future media interviews will be restricted,” the release said.

Hutchins is survived by his wife, Heather, of Clarksville, Tenn., who is expecting their child. Hutchins’ father, Jeffrey, lives in Leeds; his mother, Robin Poulin, lives in Waltham.

People who knew Hutchins continue to describe him as an outstanding individual.

His former weightlifting head coach, Jack Kaplan of Embden, said Friday, “He was kind. He was tough. He was smart. He was reliable. He had every quality you’d want to see in another person, kid or adult.”

The Willpower Weightlifting program at Carrabec High in North Anson isn’t for the faint of heart, or late risers. While many students in the program arrived at 5:30 a.m. to practice, Hutchins arrived at 4:30 a.m., four days a week, with fewer than 10 other competitive lifters, Kaplan said.

“It’s a tough program, and he embraced it,” Kaplan said. “He was very, very tough but very, very kind. That’s not something you see in a lot of people.”

Toward the end of Hutchins’ senior year, Kaplan hired him to help him install boat docks that spring — heavy, slippery, dirty, cold work. Hutchins never complained, he said.

“Anybody can be great any one day but when you’re doing it every day, that’s what makes you special, and he was,” he said.