Watkins, a husband and father of four from Tacoma, died Tuesday when an improvised explosive device on a nearby vehicle blew up beside the Humvee he was riding in, the Pentagon said. Watkins was manning the rooftop machine gun when the bomb detonated.

Four other soldiers were injured by the blast, but the Pentagon has not discussed their injuries. A spokesman with the Hawai'i National Guard said none of the approximately 3,700 soldiers from the Hawai'i Guard has been killed or wounded during their deployment.

Watkins belonged to Washington's 1st Battalion, 161st Infantry. Although most of his fellow Washington guard members returned home in March and this month, Watkins decided to stay an extra six months.

Before he was mobilized in November 2003, Watkins worked as a construction worker and carpenter.

Watkins first joined the military in 1981 and served four years in the Navy. After that he spent time with the U.S. Navy Reserve, then joined the Army full time for three years.

When he left the Army, Watkins joined the Washington Army National Guard before moving south and joining the California Army National Guard. He eventually returned to Washington.

Watkins was born in Idaho Falls, ID.

He has a son serving in the Army's 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg.