WISTV.COM - (Charleston) May 2, 2005 - Family members say 25-year-old Clifford Gadsden, of Red Top, which is near Charleston, was killed when a suicide bomber hit his supply convoy.

He was hauling supplies at the time, and he died an hour later at a hospital.

The Second Lieutenant had joined the army after graduating from South Carolina State University. Family members say Gadsden was a dedicated solider, who wanted to make his grandfather proud.

He was based in Fort Polk, Louisiana, with the Army's 603rd Transportation Company.

His aunt, Monique Green, says, "He was a platoon leader, and his mom always told him, 'CC, you don't have to go out there.' And he said, 'Well mama how can I lead them, how can they follow me if I don't lead them.' And on Friday when he got killed, he didn't have to go, but he chose to go."

Gadsden was married to Erica Murdock, with two small children, 17-month-old Karistophere and five-year-old Kinshaza. Daniel Simmons is his uncle, "His wife Erica, she was very supportive at all times. They were like two peas in a pod. They really did love each other."

The family hopes to hold funeral services on Saturday.