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A 19-year-old soldier from Lake City, Minn., has been killed in Iraq.

Tony Hebert was a 2005 graduate of Lincoln High School. His parents, Robert and Laurie Hebert of Lake City, confirmed his death but declined to comment further Friday evening.

The Defense Department had not yet released information on the circumstances.

Word of Hebert's death began spreading early Friday through the historic river town of about 5,000 on the shores of Lake Pepin in Wabasha County, south of the Twin Cities.

Among those who were grieving Friday night was Donna Raymond, a secretary at the high school for the past 37 years.

"I remember him as being a very nice young man, and it's very hard because he's our first one that we've lost," Raymond said. "I heard it in the grocery store, and I had to leave and come home, because I started to cry. It's tough. It's tough."

Hebert is the 61st person with strong Minnesota ties to be killed in connection with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In Lake City, among locals at the For Pete's Sake pub, the death of the young soldier was a somber topic all day. But with scant official information released publicly, there were more questions than answers, said bartender Theresa Schmidt.

She said her daughter attended high school with Hebert. He was known as a good student who was well-liked and was a member of the golf team, Schmidt said.

"It's very sad for the family; we feel really bad for them," she said. "He was doing his duty, and we're very proud of it."

Joy Powell • 612-673-7750 • jpowell@startribune.com