NBCSanDiego -- Sgt. Brian Dunlap, of Vista, was one of three local servicemen killed this week in Iraq, according to the military. Army Sgt. Paul Neubauer, of Oceanside and National Guard Specialist Mike Sonoda, of Fallbrook were also killed.
Before he went on tour in Iraq, Dunlap served as a fireman at Camp Pendleton. He friends describe him as "funny, caring and brash."
Christina Raines clearly remembers the last time she saw Dunlap in April, before he left for Iraq.
"That's when I gave him a huge hug, and he said, 'You haven't seen the last of me.'"
According to a friend, Dunlap was training Iraqi soldiers. She said she got a call from him about a week ago. He told her he had lost two of his men.
"He was very upset about that," said Wendy Bakker. "You could hear it in his voice; he was sort of scared."
Bakker shared an email in which Dunlap said, "I almost got whacked again this morning. That makes five times in the last two weeks." Dunlap went on to say he lost 11 men in his company to injury. He called Iraq the "wild west." Friends said Dunlap thought he was fighting for a good cause.