BELCHERTOWN, Mass. (AP) – A Belchertown man is the latest Massachusetts soldier killed while on duty in Iraq.

The Department of Defense says 22-year-old Pvt. 1st Class Kenneth Iwasinski died from injuries he suffered after an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle.

Iwasinski was assigned to the Second Infantry Division based in Fort Carson, Colorado.

His father, Dominick Iwasinski, said his son enlisted in the U.S. Army in March 2006. He said Kenneth was proud of what he was doing in Iraq, had a big heart, and was committed to the Army.

Kenneth Iwasinki’s unit was patrolling southern Baghdad at the time of the explosion.

He was scheduled to return to the U.S. in January.