Washington Post -- A teenage soldier raised in a Richmond area boy's home who had found a surrogate family through his high school's ROTC program was killed Sunday in Iraq, military officials said yesterday.

Army Pfc. Jeremy W. Ehle, 19, died after he and other soldiers came under fire while on patrol near Hit, the Defense Department said yesterday. Ehle was part of the Army's 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division stationed in Friedberg, Germany. He had arrived in Iraq early last month.

"He was incredible, and we loved him very much," said Regina Tarr of Richmond. Tarr said Ehle had befriended her son and daughter while the three were members of the junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps program at John Randolph Tucker High School in Richmond. Ehle had spent the Christmas holidays with Tarr's family.

Ehle joined the Army in January 2005 and graduated in June, according to Staff Sgt. Jamal Ghammashi, his recruiter. Ehle was posted to Germany just after Christmas.

On the Web site MySpace.com, Ehle wrote to a friend in early January to say he had gotten word his unit would be heading to Ramadi, Iraq, in a few days.

" IT IS A HOT SPOT!!! the last few days there have been a few american soldiers killed in that area ," he wrote. " im just letting you know. i didnt mean it when i said dont worry, but it feels weird not having someone you care for not worrying about you when youre about to go out into an actual warzone ."

Ehle had just started online psychology and other classes, he wrote.

Ghammashi said that Ehle was an "absolutely wonderful kid" who never complained about his living circumstances. He had no car and walked from the boy's home a few blocks to class, Ghammashi said.

Ehle found strong support in the ROTC program, he said.

"He loved it," Ghammashi said. "All the kids grew attached to each other; during lunches they all sat in the ROTC room. They had a very tightknit group. Due to his upbringing -- or lack of it -- that drew him to it. He enjoyed having that close of friends."