PORTLAND, Maine (AP) – Relatives of a Maine native killed fighting in Afghanistan say he believed in fighting for his country.

Thirty-year-old Sgt. Joshua Kirk was among eight soldiers killed Saturday in a fierce fire fight in a remote Afghan outpost.

The Portland Press Herald says Kirk’s mother, wife and 3-year-old daughter were at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware when his remains arrived in the United States.

Kirk’s aunt Christine Arsenault of Winthrop says her nephew believed in fighting for his country.

Kirk was born in Maine, but moved to Idaho at a young age. He returned to Maine as a young adult and received his GED from Camden Hills Regional High School.

He joined the Army in 2005 and was on his second tour in Afghanistan when he was killed.