Army Cpl. Joshua A. Molina

Died March 27, 2008 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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20, of Houston; assigned to the 1st Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany; died March 27 in Baghdad of wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device.

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Army Spc. Joshua A. Molina remembered

The Associated Press

Comrades remembered Joshua A. Molina as a gifted comedian who could always get his audience to smile, said Capt. Emmanuel Sioson.

“Josh was a great story teller. His stories would take five to 10 minutes to reach a punch line,” he said.

Molina, 20, of Houston, died March 27 in Baghdad of wounds sustained from an explosive. He was a 2005 high school graduate and was assigned to Vilseck, Germany.

He and his sister, Paula Fredrickson, were sports nuts and used to play pick-up basketball and watch football games together, sometimes betting on them for fun.

“He lost a lot of money on the Super Bowl,” Fredrickson said, laughing. “Me and him were really close. I didn’t just lose a brother, I lost a really good friend.”

Molina never planned to make the Army a career. He wanted to enroll in college in 2009. Someday, he told his family, he would like to work as a Border Patrol or FBI agent.

“He was a good kid and doing what he wanted to do,” Fredrickson said. “At least he accomplished one of his dreams. And he paid the ultimate price.”

Molina also is survived by his parents, Josue and Maria.