Ryan J. Baum dies of 'of wounds suffered when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using small arms fire'

Sgt. Ryan J. Baum was just a day away from a two-week leave so he could witness the birth of his first child -- a daughter.

But the 27-year-old Smoky Hill High School grad was killed Friday after his unit was attacked in Karmah, Iraq.

Baum was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska.

His family said Baum never wanted to be a hero and wanted to be remembered as someone just doing his job.

"He was simply determined to help by working as a medic. The family is remembering who he was as a person," his mother, Dana Baum, told 9News.

Baum was the second soldier with Colorado ties who died in Iraq last Friday, the Defense Department said.

From the Rocky Mountain News