A U.S. Army soldier who grew up in Alleghany County died Monday while on his second tour of duty in Iraq.

Sgt. Shawn Micheal Dunkin, 25, was killed by a roadside bomb southwest of Baghdad, according to his mother, who said she was notified of his death late Monday.

Two other American soldiers were killed and two more were wounded in the attack.

The Defense Department typically releases casualty reports 24 hours after the next of kin are notified, but no information was available Wednesday about Dunkin's death. A spokesman for the 10th Mountain Division based at Fort Drum, N.Y., was unavailable for comment.

Dunkin was the second U.S. serviceman with ties to Western Virginia to die in Iraq in the past week. Marine Lance Cpl. Daniel Todd Morris, 19, of Raphine was killed in combat Feb. 14.

Dunkin was born in Petersburg and moved to Alleghany County as a child. He graduated from Alleghany High School in 1999.

He joined the Army a year later and served his first tour in Iraq in 2004 with the Texas-based 4th Infantry Division.

He enlisted as a tanker in the mechanized unit but soon switched to infantry scout because he wanted to be closer to the action, according to family and friends.

Infantry scouts, who have one of the riskier jobs in the military, conduct reconnaissance patrols.

Operating alone or in small groups, they move ahead of their units and try to avoid detection as they relay the enemy's position to headquarters via radio.

After re-enlisting, Dunkin was an infantry scout with the 10th Mountain Division, which deployed to Iraq in August.

He planned to make the Army his career but told his family last month that he had decided to leave the military when his enlistment ended.

"He said he'd had enough" of combat, said his mother, Darlene Kelly of Portsmouth. "Wouldn't you with the bullets and the bombs every day?

"He had some absolutely wonderful friends in the Army, but he missed his family and he wanted to come home."

Family and friends remembered Dunkin, who was married in 2004, as a quiet, playful, family-oriented young man who wanted to serve his country.

At Alleghany High School, flags were lowered to half-staff and a moment of silence was held Tuesday after Principal Kenny Higgins announced Dunkin's death to the students, faculty and staff.

"We'll do what we have to do to take care of this young man's memory," Higgins said.

Anne Dean, one of Dunkin's teachers, said he followed his dream of joining the Army.

"Shawn was good kid," she said. "He liked to have fun. He kind of did things his own way. He didn't necessarily follow the crowd."

Dean said Dunkin e-mailed her in 2005 "because he wanted me to know he was doing something with his life. He loved what he was doing. He was proud of it."

"He was a kid who followed his dream. I'm just saddened it had to end this way for him."

Lt. Barry Rose with the Alleghany County Sheriff's Office said his stepdaughter, Heather Bowyer, dated Dunkin in high school and remained friends with him.

"He was a nice young man, full of life, very personable," Rose said. "You couldn't help but like the boy when you met him."

Survivors include his wife, Ashley Dunkin, of Watertown, N.Y.; his mother and stepfather, Darlene and Donovan Kelly, of Portsmouth; his father, Micheal Robert Dunkin, a retired Army warrant officer, of South Carolina; his sister, Tracie Dunkin; and a niece and nephew.

Funeral arrangements are pending, but Dunkin wanted to be buried in Chattanooga National Cemetery in Chattanooga, Tenn., where his father-in-law lived and where he wanted to retire.

"Shawn was dedicated to the cause," Rose said. "I remember he wanted to drive a tank at first, but it wasn't exciting enough, so he changed to infantry [scout] to be in the middle of the battle."

Dunkin, who liked fishing and alternative rock music, was due home in March on leave.

When he last talked to his family, he didn't discuss his future after hanging up his Army uniform, his mother said.

He had only decided that two combat tours were enough.

Staff writer Lindsey Nair contributed to this report.