Army Spc. Adam J. Rosema, 27, Pasadena; killed by roadside bomb

Adam Rosema always admired people in the military.

His grandfather Jason Hughes served as a Navy medic and was on Iwo Jima when the American flag was raised on Mt. Suribachi during one of the most legendary battles of World War II.

His father, John Rosema, served in the Air Force during the Vietnam War.

So it was no surprise to his dad when he decided to enlist in the Army two years ago.

In addition to a desire to serve his country, Rosema thought that the military would provide him the opportunity to learn to be a heavy-duty mechanic so he could work on Caterpillars, his father said. "He figured a good way to learn was joining the service."

Rosema told his close friend Linda Martinez the same thing. Martinez, who runs a day-care center on the same block where he lived in Pasadena, said she understood his motivation but nonetheless expressed concern and pressed her friend to see if he was sure he really wanted to join the Army.

"I said, 'You could go to Iraq; you don't know what will happen,' " Martinez recalled.

"He said, 'Linda, I'll be fine.' "

Rosema joined the Army in April 2005. He went to Ft. Knox, Ky., for basic and specialty training in mechanics, then transferred to Ft. Hood, Texas, where he was a specialist assigned to the 215th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division as a mechanic on Bradley fighting vehicles.

Last October, Rosema was deployed to Iraq, stopping first in Kuwait and then going to Camp Warhorse in Baqubah, 35 miles northeast of Baghdad.

On March 14, Rosema -- who was working at Camp Warhorse as a mechanic repairing Bradleys and Humvees -- volunteered to go on a routine mission to recover a vehicle that had been disabled during a battle.

Soon after leaving the base, however, his truck struck a roadside bomb.

"He was killed immediately," his father said, adding that his son died two months short of his 28th birthday. "It's a great godsend to me that he died quickly and doing what he wanted.

"He was quite happy with his job. The last time we talked, he indicated he was getting ready to reenlist. He had no complaints. He thought he was doing good for the country.... I was very proud of him. I am very proud of him."

Rosema, who was buried March 26 at Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier, was posthumously awarded a Purple Heart and Bronze Star.