Joshua G. Romero dies of 'wounds suffered when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using an improvised explosive device'

FORT WORTH -- Joshua Romero's father is proud of his son's 2005 graduation picture from Crowley High School.

Most of the time, the younger Romero shied away from the camera's lens, but this photo was a favor for his father. It's also the very photo Joe Romero pulled out Saturday to help remember his son -- a 1st Cavalry Division soldier from Fort Worth who died in Iraq.

Pfc. Joshua Romero, 19, served in B Company, 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry. The Army informed his wife and father about his death on Friday, the family said. He would have turned 20 next month.

"He made me proud," Joe Romero said. "I want people to know what he did."

The family is trying to piece together how he died. Preliminary reports indicate he was a victim of a roadside bomb while riding in an armored vehicle, the family said. He had been stationed out of Fort Hood.

"Josh was brave to go out there," said his 6-year-old brother, Anthony Romero.

Joshua Romero enlisted in 2005 shortly after graduating from Crowley High School. He told his father the military would help open doors for his future.

"He joined the military because we don't have a lot of money," Joe Romero said. "College was out of our reach."

He never second-guessed his decision to join the military. And if he was afraid, he never showed it.

"I was more afraid," Joe Romero said. "I've always known there was a chance. You hear about soldiers getting killed every day."

On Friday, the family was shocked to learn that Joshua was a war casualty.

Joe Romero said Joshua left behind a wife, Michelle, and a 1-year-old son, Joshua David. Survivors include his stepmother, Shellie Romero, and his biological mother, Kimberlee Cummings.

Joshua Romero attended Worth Heights Elementary, Rosemont Middle School and Trimble Tech High School before graduating from Crowley. He tried playing football at Rosemont, but discovered he was a better fan than a player, his father said.

"He loved football. He liked to watch basketball," said Joe Romero; adding after a pause: "That's Joshua in a nutshell."

From the Star Telegram