Pfc. Jaron D. Holliday, 21, was one of three soldiers who were killed around 12:45 p.m. Iraq time Saturday in Hawr Rajab when the Humvee they were in struck an improvised explosive device during combat operations, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.

Holliday, Sgt. Dustin S. Wakeman, 25, of Fort Worth, Texas, and Cpl. Jason K. Lafleur, 28, of Ignacio, Colo., were killed, according to the Defense Department.

All three were assigned to the 1st Squadron, 40th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division based in Fort Richardson, Alaska.

Holliday had always wanted to be in the armed forces, and at age 11 he began researching which branch he wanted to go into, said his mother, Kelly Holliday. In 2005, at age 19, he joined the Army.

''That was always his desire -- to go into the military and serve,'' she said. ''When 9/11 happened, he was 15, and he said, 'If I were old enough to serve, I would.' ''

Jaron Holliday was the oldest of eight siblings -- seven boys and one girl, his mother said.

He was home-schooled and graduated through the Christian Home Education Fellowship of Oklahoma in 2004. At his graduation, he played the piano and received a standing ovation, said his mother.

''He was a people-watcher,'' she said. ''He loved people. He was the kind of person who, if he saw someone sitting by themselves looking depressed or upset, he made it his mission to make them smile before he left, and usually accomplished that goal.''

Services for Holliday have not yet been arranged.

So far, 3,674 troops and U.S. civilian personnel have been killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom since it began in March 2003, according to the latest Department of Defense numbers released Monday.

Clifton Adcock 581-8367
clifton.adcock@tulsaworld.com