McALLEN — Military officials disclosed more details Thursday about an Alton soldier killed in Iraq this week.

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Bradley Espinoza, 26, of Alton, died Monday in Qwest, Iraq, after enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device, according to a news release issued by the U.S. Department of Defense.

Espinoza was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division based in Fort Hood.

He entered the U.S. Army in July 2002 as a combat engineer and has been stationed at Fort Hood since November 2002, according to a statement from Fort Hood. Espinoza's awards and decorations include:

>> Army Commendation Medal.

>> Army Good Conduct Medal.

>> National Defense Service Medal.

>> Iraq Campaign Medal.

>> Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal.

>> Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.

>> Noncommissioned Officers Professional Development Ribbon.

>> Overseas Service Ribbon.

Espinoza was on his third tour in Iraq and was serving as a bomb disposal specialist, his uncle Ralph Solis said earlier this week. The soldier was due to return to Texas in December.

The Mission High School graduate’s body is on its way back to the Rio Grande Valley and could arrive as early as today.

Espinoza is survived by his wife and two children, ages 6 and 3. The man’s wife is stationed in San Angelo, where she also serves in the Army.

Solis said two Army representatives visited the Espinoza household Tuesday morning to deliver the news of his nephew’s death.

Espinoza is the first Valley soldier to die in Iraq this year. Since the Iraq war began in 2003, a total of 24 other service members from the Valley have died in that country.

Prior to Espinoza’s death, the latest Valley service member to die in Iraq was another Mission High School graduate who served as an explosives expert with the Army. Spc. Alex Gonzalez, 21, of Mission, was killed in May 2008 when insurgents fired upon his patrol vehicle, family members told The Monitor.

A member of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Engineers, he died from the injuries he sustained when a rocket-propelled grenade struck his armored personnel carrier. He was on his first deployment to Iraq.