Rocky Mountain News -- Sgt. Giann C. Joya Mendoza, 27, of North Hollywood, Calif., was a native of Honduras but spent much of his time in the United States.

"He always liked the military since he was a kid," said his mother, Maria Mendoza, of Los Angeles. "He was always following the rules, and the military has schedules of what he was to do."

Joya Mendoza joined the Army in September 1999 and was deployed to Korea for a couple of years. After finishing his tour, he left the military and worked in accounting at a motel.

"When the war (in Iraq) started, he wanted to go back and find a job in the Army," said his mother. "He went into the Army because he was happy, because he liked to defend the country."

He joined the 2nd Brigade Combat Team last June.