INDEPENDENCE, MO. ? Family and friends of a young soldier killed in Iraq remembered him as both a dedicated military man and a proud father.

Pictures at Sgt. Joel Bertoldie’s funeral Saturday showed him beaming as he held his infant son.

Bertoldie, 20, of Independence, was killed July 18 when a bomb was detonated close to his convoy near Fallujah, Iraq.

Forrest Bertoldie, Joel Bertoldie’s great-uncle, said his great-nephew did not set out to be a hero.

“Only when we confront true heroism are we reminded that true heroism requires sacrifice,” Forrest Bertoldie said.

During the service, Army officials presented Bertoldie’s family with his Good Conduct Medal, Purple Heart and Bronze Star.