North West Arkansas News -- DECATUR — A death in Iraq earlier this week brought the conflict home to those who knew the young man and his family.

U.S. Army Sgt. Arthur Raymond McGill, 26, died Tuesday when the Humvee in which he rode patrol detonated an improvised explosive device, according to a U.S. Department of Defense press release. On Saturday, McGill’s grandmother, Faye Carter of Gentry, said the Army said he died instantly when the bomb exploded on a street in Baghdad.

He was assigned to the 1 st Battalion, 9 th Field Artillery Regiment, 2 nd Brigade Combat Team, 3 rd Infantry Division, based in Fort Stewart, Ga.

The young man had lived in Gentry, Decatur and Gravette during his youth; he last attended school at Decatur High School, dropping out following 10 th grade.

At 17 he received his General Equivalency Degree and joined the National Guard. He served in the Guard for six years. He enlisted in the U.S. Army January 2003, was deployed to Iraq from February 2003 to August 2003, where he was a member of the 3 rd Infantry, in one of the first wave of military into Baghdad during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

After re-enlisting in June, he was serving his second deployment in Iraq.

The 6-foot 6-inch McGill stood proudly for his country and "believed he needed to be there" according to his aunt, Jamie Gilstrap of Gaston, S. C.

Gilstrap said the sacrifice of her nephew — whom she had raised as her own since McGill was 14 years old — was part of what he was all about. "He was a good guy, he didn’t hate anybody and no one hated him, he was a beautiful person. He never had hard feelings toward anyone," she said. "He re-enlisted because he was proud of the fact he was in Iraq serving his country. He was family-oriented and all his friends over there were part of his family," she said.

Gilstrap said a few weeks ago McGill had expressed himself to her, saying how much he appreciated her and her husband, Ray, and their children. "He said he was grateful for all we had done for him and he was thankful for his family."

When he was deployed for the second time to Iraq in January, Gilstrap said he was able to instant message home several times a week — sometimes several times a day.

But she was not home when he left a message for her letting her know he would catch her after he went on another patrol. That was the last Gilstrap heard from her beloved nephew. McGill’s daughter, Kaylee, 7, was the love of his life, according to Gilstrap. The girl lives with her mother, Crystal Main, in Gravette. "He made sure that if anything happened to him Kaylee would be taken care. His wishes are coming true." The military, she explained, have been 100 percent helpful in dealing with paperwork and making all the arrangements necessary to return his body to Arkansas.

McGill’s funeral will take place later this week, at the National Cemetery in Fayetteville, according to Gilstrap. Funeral details were not definite on Sunday.