Newsday -- To family and friends, Nathaniel Swindell was a practical joker, who did his pranks in a respectful manner.
He also loved serving others, and got a kick out of distributing candy to children in Iraq just to see the smiles on their faces.
Swindell, 24, a resident of the Melrose section of the Bronx, died Saturday in Mosul from a "non-combat related injury," the Defense Department announced yesterday. He was a sergeant assigned to the 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment in Fort Lewis, Wash.
The Defense Department provided no further details on Swindell's death but relatives said they were told that he was killed by a bullet accidentally discharged from the rifle of an unidentified Iraqi National Guardsman.
Swindell's grandmother, Verna Callender, said she was shocked to learn of the circumstances of his death.
"For his death to be an accident is terrible," she said. "I am not for war -- too many boys are going over there and dying. But it was up to him to go over there, and he had to do what he had to do."
Relatives said Swindell's decision to join the Army came as a surprise. Swindell's father, Vernon Swindell, 42, said his son went to Iraq after getting married in September.
"He didn't get a chance to go on his honeymoon," he said. "His wife is really distraught. They didn't even get a chance to have a marriage.
"We didn't want him to get into anything dangerous like that but he wanted to do it, and we supported him," Vernon Swindell said. "He loved it, and we never discouraged him. He was happy, and we just wanted him to do his best at whatever he did."
In a telephone interview, Callender said Swindell's younger brother and two sisters were devastated by the news.
"The family is very close," Callender said. "They would always go to different places together. He was a very friendly person, and I am too upset now to talk about it."
Vernon Swindell described his son as a practical joker -- but he said his pranks were always respectful.
"He was always helping other people," he said. "He liked serving others. Even when we sent him care packages, he asked us to send candy so that he could give it to the Iraqi kids. He would always talk about them being destitute and living in the streets. He liked to see the smile on their faces."
Nathaniel Swindell's wife, Sabrina, was traveling to New York Tuesday and was unavailable for comment.