Boston Globe -- A father of two from Dorchester was killed during the weekend while serving in Iraq, an Army spokeswoman said yesterday.

Zayas's parents, who are from Dorchester, could not be reached last night. A woman who answered the door at a relative's house in Quincy said family members were too distraught to speak. ``We're very sad," she said.

Zayas, a decorated infantryman, joined the Army in April of 2004, said Kelly Tyler, a spokeswoman for Fort Campbell in Kentucky, where Zayas was based.

Zayas received a Purple Heart during his service, but Tyler said she did not know the circumstances surrounding the honor.