Fayetteville Observer -- The 82nd Airborne Division’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team has lost its third paratrooper to a homemade bomb in Iraq since deploying in late 2008.

Cpl. Brad A. Davis, 21, of Garfield Heights, Ohio, died near Baghdad of wounds received when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle, the Pentagon said Friday.

Davis was on his second deployment to Iraq. He was a senior vehicle driver in the 82nd Brigade Support Battalion of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team of the 82nd Airborne Division.

“Cpl. Davis was an exceptional junior leader who had the experience and knowledge gained from two combat deployments with the battalion over the last two years,” said Lt. Col. Louis A. Zeisman in a statement.

Zeisman is the commander of the 2nd Battalion of the 505th Parachute Infantry Battalion. “He was the model paratrooper every commander strived to have in his unit,” Zeisman said. “Physically fit, mentally tough, and well-disciplined. This heartfelt loss will be felt by the entire Task Force ‘2 Panther’ family, both near and far, but his legacy will remain, measured by the high caliber of soldiers he fought beside on a daily basis.”

Staff Sgt. Justin Bauer was killed Jan. 10 when a bomb struck his vehicle during a combat patrol in the New Baghdad district of eastern Baghdad. The 24-year-old infantryman from Loveland, Colo., was assigned to Company D of the 2nd Battalion.

Pfc. Ricky L. Turner, a 20-year-old combat engineer from Athens, Ala., died Jan. 16. He was assigned to the Special Troops Battalion.

Davis joined the Army in August 2006. He completed Motor Transport Operator Advanced Individual Training at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., in January 2007 and the Basic Airborne Course at Fort Benning, Ga., in February 2007. He reported to the 82nd Airborne Division the following month and was assigned to battalion as a vehicle driver.

He was in Iraq from March to October 2007 and deployed for the second time in November.

“Cpl. Brad Davis was an experienced and seasoned soldier who exemplified the Army values on a daily basis,’’ said Capt. Jerimiah Corbin, commander of the battalion’s Company F. “Cpl. Davis was one of the finest paratroopers I have had the privilege of serving with, and today our heartfelt prayers are with the Davis family as we grieve a true friend, a gifted junior leader, and an outstanding young man.”

He is survived by his father, Robert Davis of Strongsville, Ohio; his mother, Theresa K. Davis of Gardfield Heights, Ohio; and siblings Jennifer, Robert and Becky.