Leavenworth ? A soldier from Leavenworth who reveled in making others laugh has died in Baghdad, Iraq, his mother said.

On Friday, the Department of Defense confirmed the death of Army Cpl. David Unger, saying he was one of four soldiers based at Fort Hood, Texas, who died Wednesday when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle.

The other solders were 2nd Lt. Christopher E. Loudon, 23, of Brockport, Pa.; Cpl. Russell G. Culbertson III, 22, of Amity, Pa.; and Spc. Joseph C. Dumas Jr., 25, of New Orleans.

They were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division at Fort Hood.

Unger, who graduated from Leavenworth High School in 2003, would have celebrated his 22nd birthday on Halloween. He leaves behind a wife, Laura Unger, and a son and daughter.

“For almost 22 years, he was the rock of our family,” his mother, Diana Pitts, told The Kansas City Star.

Pitts said Unger was expected to leave Iraq for Kuwait in mid-November. He would have returned to Texas with the 4th Infantry Division in December. Unger already had decided not to re-enlist and instead return to Leavenworth to spend more time with his family, Pitts said.

Funeral services, which will be held at the Belden-Sexton-Sumpter Funeral Chapel in Leavenworth, were pending.