BRUNSWICK — A new Marine Corps Reserve Training Center in Brunswick will be named after a Marine from Maine who was killed while serving in Afghanistan in November 2010.

1st Lt. James Zimmerman, who grew up in Aroostook County, was killed by small arms fire during an engagement with the enemy in Afghanistan. He was 25 years old.

The training center, which just opened, is located on the former Brunswick Naval Air Station property. The building will become the new training center for Company A of the 1st Battalion of the 25th Marine Division.

“First Lieutenant Zimmerman was an exemplary soldier and Mainer,” Gov. Paul LePage said in a written statement. “It is fitting that Alpha Company, the unit with whom he began his military career, honor his sacrifice for our country.”

LePage and his wife, Ann, joined Brig. Gen. Burke Whitman and other dignitaries at Sunday’s dedication ceremony.

The Marines said it took nearly two years to get approval from the federal government to name the facility after Zimmerman.

Zimmerman was born in Presque Isle and graduated from Houlton Christian Academy in 2003. He joined the Marines after graduation. Zimmerman, a platoon commander, was deployed to Afghanistan in June 2010.

In a statement released by the governor’s office, Zimmerman was described as a leader known for his keen tactical judgment and care for his fellow marines. His platoon had been charged with securing a sector within the city of Marjeh – one of the most dangerous cities in Afghanistan.

The Marines say the $8 million facility Brunswick will include a weapons storage area, assembly hall, classrooms, locker and shower rooms, and workshops.

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