It's pretty clear from his MySpace page that Schofield Barracks soldier Spc. Michael J. Anaya was proud to be in service to the nation.

There's a reference to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, a prayer entitled "God Bless Our Military" and a poster that reads "Support Those Supporting America," with a picture of four soldiers on patrol in the desert and an M1A1 Abrams main battle tank behind them.

The Pentagon yesterday said Anaya, 23, of Crestview, Fla., who joined the Army in 2006 and was assigned to Hawai'i in January 2008, died Sunday in Bayji, northwest of Baghdad, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle.

He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division.

Col. Walter Piatt and the 3rd Brigade of about 3,500 Schofield soldiers took over security responsibility in Salah ad Din province on Nov. 22. The soldiers are expected to be in Iraq for a year.

Anaya's family told the Northwest Florida Daily News that the truck he was driving ran over a roadside bomb. There was no word on whether others were injured.

Anaya loved fishing, cooking on the grill and fighting for his country, the family said.

"He knew the risk and he said that's what he loved and that's what his life was meant for," said Katie Rowe, who is engaged to his older brother, Carmelo Jr. "He has, ever since he was 5 years old, known that's what he wanted to do."

Mike, as he was known to family and friends, had told his family that if he died, he wanted to be buried near his family. Rowe told the Northwest Florida Daily News that her future brother-in-law had a premonition that this might be his last tour.

"He told his brother, 'I have a feeling that I'm not going to make it back, but that's what I'm meant to do,' " Rowe said. "He said, 'It's not just for you and the family and my nieces and nephews. It's for everybody.' "

The 3rd Brigade has suffered three combat and two noncombat-related deaths in northern Iraq since the unit deployed in October and November.