KARE 11 -- MINNEAPOLIS -- Three U.S. soldiers killed this week in an attack on a base outside Iraq's second largest city were members of the Minnesota National Guard, marking the deadliest day for Minnesota troops since 2005.

Dan Drevnick's father, Ken, remembered his son as a hard worker who was friendly and outgoing. Drevnick said his son followed his father's interest in drag racing and had started restoring his own muscle car after graduating from Woodbury High School.

"To be able to pay for it, he worked his regular job at Tires Plus, attended school full time, and he got another job at Fed Ex. That's what type of person he was," Drevnick said. "To get someplace he knew he had to make it happen."

Dan was part of a military police unit and hoped to someday become a state trooper, said Drevnick, who recently retired from the Minnesota State Patrol. He deployed in March and was home for a short break this summer before heading back to Iraq on July 8, Drevnick said.

"He always felt a need to serve his country and do his duty," said Bernie Drevnick, Daniel's uncle.

"We know Dan's not hurting anymore and someone who is divine is looking after him," Bernie said.

The soldiers were members of the Minnesota National Guard's 34th Red Bull Infantry Division based in Rosemount. A spokesman for the unit, Capt. Paul Rickert, declined to comment, citing the military's waiting period for releasing casualty information. An official military release wasn't expected until Saturday.

The last time three Minnesota soldiers were died on the same day in Iraq was Feb. 21, 2005, when three National Guard troops were killed by a roadside bomb in Baghdad.