WNEG -- Private First Class Daniel Joseph Allman, II was due to come home for Thanksgiving. But only a week before his trip, his hummer ran over a roadside bomb in Iraq.

“They were in my yard and I asked how bad he was hurt, cause they didn't have on white gloves like my son told me; if he got killed they would have on white gloves. And they told me then that he had been killed,” Allman’s mother tells NewsChannel 32.

Only 20 years old, Daniel leaves behind his 2 year old daughter Haleigh.

“Now she's got to grow up without her daddy.”

He also leaves behind his younger brother, Michael, and his step dad and his mom...who says she remembers when he first told her in April he was leaving Germany to go to Iraq.

“When he called and told me that he was being sent to Iraq, I was scared and he was scared too,” Amanda remembers.

But he told her if anything happened he would go down fighting.

“There was one thing Danny taught me...you'll never get no where in your life running scared,” his younger brother, Michael says.

Daniel's mom says that he didn't need to put on this uniform to become a man. She says that from a very young age, he took care of responsibilities and gave his little brother advice.

“He kept telling Michael, you've got responsibilities and you've got to take care of them.

Just like he did for his daughter and his country.

“Just pray for us and be proud of our troops for what they're doing because my son scarified his life not only for us but for everybody,” Amanda wanted to add.

And until his body arrives, she will hang on to anything that shows her Daniel is near.

Daniel's mom found a yellow balloon in a field today.

She says it's a sign that's he's with her. She was told her son's body has to go to Dover, Delaware before it can come home to her.

The earliest his body would be back in Franklin County would be next Wednesday.

His burial has not yet been scheduled.