Dallas Morning News -- An Army private from Highland Village died in Iraq on Saturday, a day after he was struck by shrapnel from a roadside bomb.

Pvt. Aaron Hudson, 20, was a 2002 graduate of Marcus High School in Flower Mound. He had joined the Army almost a year ago and left for Iraq in January. He was serving with the 401st Military Police Company.

"He liked being called a soldier," said his father, Mark Hudson. "My son died doing what he wanted to do. As a father, you can ask no more for your children than to willingly help other people."

Pvt. Hudson was traveling in a convoy between Baghdad and Camp Taji on Friday, performing a routine patrol and delivering mail, Mr. Hudson said.

He was the gunner in his military police team and was charged with security at the rear of the convoy when a roadside bomb exploded. A large piece of shrapnel shot through his body armor and struck him in the chest.

"We knew in the back of our mind that this could happen," Mr. Hudson said. "The people of Iraq did not kill my son ... the criminal element in Iraq killed my son. He was there to help the Iraqi people."

Pvt. Hudson was born May 17, 1984, in Dallas. He played select-level baseball, soccer and basketball growing up, but his main high school sport was golf.

He always felt at ease around people of any age, especially around his grandfather's golfing buddies. "He loved to play golf with those men. Those men loved him, too," Mr. Hudson said.

Pvt. Hudson conducted extensive research into which branch of the military he would join, his father said, before settling on being a military police officer in the Army.

"The thing that makes it odd is we aren't a military family," Mr. Hudson said. "He sent us a letter the fourth week into basic [training]. Basic training is supposed to be tough. And he said, 'Man, Dad. This is fun.' I knew then he made the right decision."

Pvt. Hudson spoke to his family by telephone two or three times a week. The last time that he spoke with his parents was the Tuesday before he was killed to wish them a happy 25th wedding anniversary.

Pvt. Hudson's phone calls and letters were never negative, his father said.

"The food was never terrible, the conditions were never terrible," he said. "You would think the letters would start off with, 'This sucks.' But they were never like that. It's made this a whole lot easier."

Mr. Hudson said his son's best friends were fellow soldiers.

"He loved the camaraderie and the structure," Mr. Hudson said. "Let's face it, he'd rather been home. But he knew why he was there, and he knew him being there was important."

Pvt. Hudson's body was expected to arrive at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware early this morning. His body will be returned to North Texas by the end of the week, Mr. Hudson said.

Funeral arrangements are pending. Pvt. Hudson's battalion in Iraq will hold a memorial service for him Wednesday.

In addition to his father, Pvt. Hudson is survived by his mother, Annette Hudson of Highland Village; a sister, Lezlie Hudson of Dallas; grandparents David and Fredrika Hudson of Mount Pleasant, Texas; and great-grandparents Ed and Loise Huddleston of Lewisville.