Fresno Bee -- Sgt. Steven M. Packer couldn't wait to graduate from Clovis High School in 2002 so that he could join the U.S. Army and help fight the war on terrorism.

"I couldn't have convinced him not to join," his mother, Robin Davidson said. "He wanted to go. He was excited about getting out there and helping to fight al-Qaida."

But after two tours of duty, he looked forward to coming home and attending college, something that should have happened last May, his mother said.

Instead, Packer, 23, was sent back to Iraq for a third tour.

He died Thursday of wounds suffered when his patrol was hit by an improvised explosive device, the Department of Defense said Friday. A member of the 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Packer is the sixth Clovis Unified student to be killed in Iraq. He died while searching for three soldiers missing since an attack last Saturday.

Rather than coming home last May, Packer was "stop-lossed," subjected to a military order that bars personnel who could otherwise leave when their volunteer commitments expire to remain for a longer term.

Packer's stoic return to Iraq even after he had fulfilled his original commitment is evidence of his strong character, said his stepfather, Mark Davidson. "He was very good at what he did, but he was not excited about being there."

Robin Davidson last heard from her son a week ago.

She didn't get a call from him on Mother's Day, and she was sure that was because he was out in the field.

In a sad twist, the family, which includes Packer's brother Chris, 24, sister Danielle, 20, and twin brothers Zachary and Jason, 6, received advance warning that the Army was on the way with bad news.

Within the last year, the family had moved from their old home in Clovis to a recently built one in Harlan Ranch. When Army officials came to the door of the old home, the family was warned by their old neighbors that the officials were on the way.

"We had about an hour to sit there and deny it," Robin Davidson said of what they knew was on the way.

The family remains proud of Packer's service in the military and said Packer's lieutenant had written in the past to praise his efforts.

"He couldn't say enough good things about him," Robin Davidson said. When the stop-loss happened, "he was sorry to tell us that he was going back to Iraq."

In Iraq, Packer was based along the Euphrates River near a half-completed power plant. His duty included control over the busy waterfront as well as searches for wire often used in explosives, his mother said.

Packer's father, David, was killed in 1993 in an automobile accident. His son, who took the death very hard, will be buried near his father in Fresno Memorial Gardens.