The Leaf Chronicle -- Spc. Daniel W. Winegeart died doing what he loved, which was performing missions with the 5th Special Forces Group.

Winegeart, 23, of Kountze, Texas, was killed Tuesday in Baghdad, Iraq, when his military truck drove off an overpass. Winegeart was assigned to the 5th Group Support Battalion at Fort Campbell. The wreck is still under investigation.

As a special electronic devices repairer with 5th Group, Winegeart was a young soldier hand-picked for the job because of his exceptional leadership ability, said his father David Winegeart.

"I never had been in the Army, and I wasn't aware of all the things the Army does. He was the one who was always the leader, and he always took care of family," said Mr. Winegeart, also of Kountze. "He wanted to get into special forces, and he loved it. His group is his closest family like his own family. He wanted to serve his country, and he wanted to keep our freedom here at home."

Mr. Winegeart said funeral services will be held in Kountze, and he is nearly overwhelmed by the amount of support from near and far.