The Department of Defense identified the soldier as Staff Sgt. Bryan Bolander, 26.
He was killed Tuesday in Baghdad from wounds suffered when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky., the Defense Department said.
The release says he's from Bakersfield, but that's not true, according to his fiancee, contacted through her MySpace page.
''His name is Bryan Bolander and he was from was from the Riverside area, Hemet,'' she said. ''He attended San Jacinto High School and joined the military directly after. He was stationed at Ft Campbell KY for the last 8 years.''