Joshua D. Brown 'of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle'

An Army soldier with ties to Tampa and Dearborn Heights, Mich., was killed in Iraq when an improvised bomb detonated near his vehicle, the U.S. Department of Defense said.

Pfc. Joshua D. Brown, 26, died Sunday after his vehicle struck an explosive the day before, the military said.

Brown grew up in Michigan and moved to Tampa a few years before joining the Army in 2005, his father, Wayne Brown, told the St. Petersburg Times for a story published today.

Wayne Brown, 53, said his son worked on hardwood floors before enlisting in the Army. About a year ago, after being stationed in Germany, Joshua Brown was deployed to Iraq. He felt he was improving life for people who had lived too long under a dictator, his father said.

“He wanted to help, and that’s why he went over there,” Wayne Brown told the Times.

Joshua Brown, who was recently married, served with the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division in Schweinfurt, Germany.

From WKMG 6