Spc. Jon "Mike" Schoolcraft III had promised his mother, Cindy, that this would be the last time to Iraq, and that he'd get out of the Army when he got back from the 15-month deployment.

The 26-year-old Ohio man and Schofield Barracks soldier had married in November, and was trying to figure out how he could get a stateside military contracting job.

"He was just ready to be with family and get this behind him, but he knew he had a job to do," Cindy Schoolcraft said.

That job had barely begun when Schoolcraft was killed on Saturday.

His 20-ton Stryker vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb, and several other soldiers were wounded, some seriously enough to be flown to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, officials said.

Four days after it officially took over responsibility for the Taji area northwest of Baghdad, Hawai'i's Stryker brigade had suffered its first combat fatality.

Stryker vehicles have armor that can withstand a heavy machine gun round, and 5,000 pounds of catcher's mask-like "slat" armor that deflects rocket-propelled grenades, but some roadside bombs can destroy even a heavy battle tank.

Schoolcraft, of Wapakoneta, Ohio, was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment "Wolfhounds," part of the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team out of Schofield Barracks.

'IT'S A SHOCK'

Hawai'i's Stryker brigade deployed in November and December with 4,000 soldiers and about 328 of the eight-wheeled Stryker vehicles.

"It's a shock," Cindy Schoolcraft said of her son's death. "We're working through it day by day."

Mike Schoolcraft's wife, Amber, had her mother with her in Mililani, and was making preparations to return to the Mainland. A memorial service was scheduled for today at Schofield. Schoolcraft will be buried at Buckland Cemetery in Ohio.

Schoolcraft had deployed before to Iraq when he was based out of Germany. Cindy Schoolcraft worried less about her son this time, but still wanted him to get out of the Army.

"The first time he went over, I guess because he was young and out of high school, I was beside myself," she said. "(This time), things seemed like they were calming down and I thought Mike was in a quiet area. I guess like every other family that's lost a soldier, they just plan on them coming home. They don't plan to make arrangements like I've been having to do."

ALL ABOUT SAFETY

Schoolcraft told his mother in November that he wanted everyone to know that he was going to Iraq for a reason, and that reason was to keep those he loved safe.

He had joined the Army with a buddy after graduating from high school in 2001. His mother said he wanted to serve his country.

In high school, Schoolcraft had wrestled, played football and baseball, was involved in track, and loved to fish and hunt.

"He excelled in everything he did," Cindy Schoolcraft said.

The Army hasn't yet provided many details on the incident that killed Mike Schoolcraft. "They just told me he was on a dangerous mission," his mother said. "His sergeant told me they knew it was a dangerous mission going out because it was a daytime mission."

One vehicle passed safely over the roadside bomb, but it detonated as her son's vehicle passed over, she said.

Schoolcraft's sergeant told his mother that her son was appreciated for his wit and smile.

"He was witty and had a positive side," Cindy Schoolcraft said, "and he was a real stronghold for a lot of the newer guys and younger guys because they always looked up to him for that smile and the positive that's lacking over there."

Reach William Cole at wcole@honoluluadvertiser.com.