Juan M. Lopez Jr. dies 'of wounds suffered when his vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device'

A soldier from the Pee Dee has become one of the most recent victims of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Cassandra Lopez never imagined her chat with her brother, Juan Lopez, on MySpace last week, would be their last. "We were writing on my space and I told him happy birthday and that I loved him and I missed him," Lopez told NewsChannel 15.

Four days after his 23rd birthday, Juan's family got a call that he had been killed in Iraq.

Juan was a private in the United States Army. He had been in Iraq for nearly a year.

Juan's family says he went to high school at South Florence High and was a part of the R.O.T.C. It was always his dream to join the army.

They will miss their beloved Juan, but believe someday they'll meet again.

"He just got called a little bit earlier than we did, and we will see him again," said Cassandra.

The family tells us that Juan had a free spirit and loved to make people laugh.

From WPDE 15