Tyler (Clinton T.) McCormick dies of injuries from I.E.D.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A Jacksonville man is coping with the death of his brother, a local soldier who was killed in Iraq earlier this week.

The day after Christmas, 20-year-old Tyler McCormick died when a roadside bomb exploded during his patrol in Iraq.

Tyler McCormick's older brother Daniel McCormick said the two were best friends growing up and that it's still difficult for him to talk about the moment he found out his brother was dead.

Daniel was driving to work on Wednesday when he got a call from his mother.

"I didn't believe her until I talked to the guy and he told me," Daniel McCormick said.

"That guy" was an Army chaplain who had to break the difficult news to Daniel McCormick and his family.

Tyler McCormick had been in Iraq since October. Daniel McCormick said his younger brother was a little scared when he first arrived in Iraq, but since then, he concentrated on the mission and helped his unit.

"He never changed his mind. He was ready to go over there and fight," Daniel McCormick said. "He always wanted to be in the military. He loved it."

Growing up and living most of his life in Jacksonville, Tyler McCormick went to school at Crystal Springs Elementary and then to Joseph Stillwell Middle School. Even back then, his brother said he had one dream -- to be in the military.

"He was a kid, 8 or 9 years old. We both wanted to go," Daniel McCormick said.

A bad knee kept Daniel McCormick from joining, but Tyler McCormick joined in August 2005.

In Colorado for training and also in Iraq, Tyler McCormick kept in touch with his brother and his friends via the Internet.

Word of the tragedy spread to Tyler McCormick's MySpace.com page on Wednesday, and entries talking about his death and how much his friends miss him and other written statements have been left to honor the solder.

"He loved doing it. He was proud of it," Daniel McCormick said.

From News 4