Army Sergeant Kenith Casica, 32, of Virginia Beach, Virginia, was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Kentucky. He was killed by enemy small-arms fire in Baghdad, Iraq, on December 10, 2005.

Born in the Philippines, SGT Casica’s family spent time in Hawaii and California before settling in Virginia. He graduated from Green Run High School in 1994 and two years later, joined the Army. This was his second deployment to Iraq; during his first, he had been wounded by shrapnel from a rocket-propelled grenade.

More than anything, SGT Casica wanted to become a United States citizen. On the day his ashes were buried in West Hopkinsville, Kentucky, he was posthumously granted citizenship. He was also awarded a Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart.

SGT Casica’s comrades remembered him as quick to smile and joke, with “a huge heart.” They also praised his courage, his ability to connect with Iraqi civilians and his dedication to the soldiers of Bravo Company.

SGT Casica was survived by his wife and three children.