Reno Gazette-Journal -- An Army private from Lovelock died this week in Iraq of "non-combat-related" causes, the Department of Defense reported on its Web site Thursday.

Pvt. 1st Class Thomas C. Siekert, 20, of the 101st Airborne Division died Tuesday in Bayji, Iraq, according to the Army. Records show Siekert was a June 2004 graduate of Pershing County High School.

The Army said his death remains under investigation. Siekert was among four American soldiers listed Thursday as dead in Iraq by the Pentagon.

U.S. Sen. Harry Reid's office said 14 Nevadans, including Siekert, in the Army or Marine Corps have died in Iraq since the war started in 2003. Several others have died in Afghanistan and Kuwait. Reid spokeswoman Tessa Hafen said the senator was trying to get more information on the circumstances of Siekert's death.

At the Siekert residence in Reno, a man who identified himself as Thomas C. Siekert's uncle said family members are grieving, and declined to be interviewed.

"He gave his life for God and country, let's leave it at that," the uncle said.

Siekert was assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division based in Fort Campbell, Ky. Several 101st Airborne soldiers have been killed in the Bayji area this fall, according to the Defense Department. Bayji, in the Sunni Triangle, is about 150 miles northwest of Baghdad and is considered a stronghold of Iraq insurgency.

Gov. Kenny Guinn said "our brave men and women in the military are sacrificing so much to depend our way of life, and each day face perils that many of us can only imagine."

"Dema and I grieve each time we hear of the passing of one of Nevada's soldiers," he said. "Our hearts go out to the family members who must bear the weight of the sorrow and the hearthache of losing a loved one."

U.S. Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Reno, also offered condolences to Siekert's family.

"Though we mourn the loss of a patriot, we celebrate his life as a hero and the legacy he leaves behind," he said.

"There is no greater honor than service to one's country, and as we continue to fight the war on terror, we remember Private Siekert and all those who paid the ultimate sacrifice so that we may live in a safer world."