Special to the PVT Pfc. Joshua S. Modgling was one of two soldiers who died when a roadside bomb blast struck the armored vehicle in which they were traveling June 19. Advertisement

Joshua S. Modgling, 22, was killed in action in Iraq last Tuesday, June 19.

Pfc. Modgling was seeking out improvised explosive devices in an armored vehicle that was struck by a roadside bomb.

Another occupant in the vehicle, Sgt. 1st Class William A. Zapfe, of Muldraugh, Ky., was also killed.

The Defense Department reported Modgling was a private first class in a rifle company of the 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, an element of the 2nd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, based in Fort Stewart, Ga.

The combat resulting in Modgling's death took place in Muhammad al Ali.

Modgling is survived by his mother and father, Julie and Keith Modgling, of Riverside, Calif., and his grandmother Karen Nelson, retired from the Nye County Sheriff's Office.

Modgling lived in Pahrump periodically for eight years, during which time he attended J.G. Johnson and Mt. Charleston Elementary schools.

He played soccer for the American Youth Soccer Organization as well as Little League Baseball.

"He loved sports and put his heart and soul into practice and playing the game," Nelson wrote about her grandson.

Modgling attended high school in Las Vegas and Corona, Calif.

He enlisted in the Army Dec. 29, 2005, and looked forward to serving his country.

"The only thing he detested was losing," Nelson wrote. "This was hard for him to accept. That's why he was so excited to join the Army. He felt that serving his country was what he could do best."

During the six weeks he served in Iraq, Modgling wrote often to his family, asking for goodie bags, particularly his favorite, flaming hot Cheetos with lime.

"All Josh wanted was to finish serving his country, go home to attend college in the automotive field and eventually open an automotive shop with his brother Christopher," Nelson wrote. "He hated the hot weather and longed for a huge snowstorm to hit there. Instead, all he saw were camels, which he said didn't look anything like snow."

According to a friend, a relative had taken his photo to Wal-Mart for inclusion on the Wall of Heroes just hours before notification of his death arrived.

Modgling was an inspiration to young people.

"He was also instrumental in helping others, especially kids who were on the road to trouble," Nelson wrote. "He took the time to listen and to care."

When news of Modgling's death spread, two young boys with whom Modgling spent time arrived at his mother's house and asked to attend the funeral.

"Neither of the boys could believe that he was gone," Nelson wrote. "They said that Joshua had been their inspiration to get their lives on the right track, that he was proof that a person could change their direction in life."

One of the boys has since enlisted in the Marines and will be sworn in once he graduates from high school.

"All of us will not only miss our Joshua, but his tenacity for life, his love of others and his need to defend the underdog, be it friend or the Pittsburgh Steelers," Nelson wrote. "I will miss his e-mails and his calls and the way he used to beat me when we played Texas Hold'em. I think I still owe him $5. Josh promised that he would come back to us, but during that talk with him, we forgot to specify 'alive.'"