His mother says Specialist Jonathan Santos of Bellingham, Washington, was hit when an explosion hit his vehicle during combat operations. Doris Kent says he died a few hours later, before he could reach the hospital.
A Pentagon spokesman says the military can't provide details on Santos' death.
Santos left for his first tour of Iraq in September and celebrated his birthday there a few weeks later.
His mother says he studied Arabic in the Army. He served in Haiti for about three months earlier this year, she said.
Kent said her son loved being with people and was an avid reader, so much so that someone in his unit call him 'the librarian.'
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