Lance Cpl. Jason T. Little Hometown

Mlive.com -- U.S. Army Specialist Andrew Patrick Daul was manning a checkpoint in Iraq when he witnessed a huge explosion that ignited a nearby vehicle with civilians inside.

Amid all the death in the war, there was a little life because Andrew was that kind of soldier, said his father Michael Daul, as he remembered the 2003 Brighton High School graduate this morning.

The younger Daul, of Brighton, was killed Tuesday after an improvised explosive device went off near his Abrams tank in Hit, Iraq, according to the Department of Defense.

Daul, 21, was a tanker from the 1st Battalion, 37th Armored Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division based in Friedberg, Germany. Daul is one of 11 area military personnel to be killed in the line of duty since the conflict in Iraq started; five died this year.

It was Daul's second tour in Iraq, and while he worried like everyone else about the hazards of war, he reassured his family.

"Everyone is very, very proud of Andrew,'' his father said this morning in a phone interview from his Brighton home. "Even though we always knew this is something that could happen, it's still shocking. We felt he was in a relatively safe place, if there is such a thing in Iraq.''

The knock came around 8:30 Tuesday night, Michael Daul said. "We were obviously pretty much brought to our knees when soldiers came to our door. But we're surrounded by lots of family and friends.''

Andrew Daul became interested in serving in the military during his senior year at Brighton High. He had served three and a half years, earning various awards and commendations.

Daul wasn't planning a military life, however. He was looking forward to finishing that chapter of his life in July and coming back home to Brighton. He planned to work for his father's environmental consulting firm for a little while and then pursue a career in fitness or nutrition.

"He was very excited about returning to civilian life,'' his father said. "He wanted to buy a home and start his life. ... He felt he'd had enough. All he talked about in recent months was his upcoming discharge.''

Daul was an avid and competitive bodybuilder, an interest that had its roots in school but blossomed in the military, his father said. He was a big, strong guy with a great sense of humor, his father said. Daul ran track one year at Brighton High and was fascinated by extreme sports such as skiing and snowboarding.

During his enlistment, he had a chance to travel and see parts of Europe, his father said.

Daul, who first went to Iraq in 2004, was last home at Christmas of last year.

Arrangements for services and interment have not yet been made, Michael Daul said. He said family members were considering local burial as well as at Arlington National Cemetery. In addition to his parents, Daul is survived by two sisters, Lindsey, 20; and Audrey, 15; and numerous aunts, uncles and other family members.

Daul would have rotated out of Iraq and returned to the base in Germany in February, his father said.

"He spent most of his enlistment engaged in combat action and although he didn't enjoy war, he believed in what he was doing,'' Michael Daul said. "He loved the military life and camaraderie. He was a very, very good soldier.''