Army Pfc. Kevin M. Luna

Died January 27, 2005 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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26, of Oxnard, Calif.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 63rd Armor Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, Vilseck, Germany; died Jan. 27 of non-combat-related injuries in Muqdadiyah, Iraq.

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Oxnard soldier killed in Iraq accident

Associated Press

OXNARD, Calif. — Whenever Pfc. Kevin M. Luna returned to California to visit, he would tell friends to have a list of projects that he could help them accomplish.

“All I did was mention to him that we wanted a koi pond, and before he left, we had us a koi pond,” said one family friend, Susan Gauntt. “He was just a great guy.”

Luna, 26, died Jan. 27 from non-combat-related injuries while serving with the 1st Infantry Division in Muqdadiyah, Iraq, according to the Defense Department.

His parents, Teresa and Robert Luna of Oxnard, said they were told their son died in an accident that is still under investigation, but they had no other details.

Friends and family recalled the soldier as a generous and warm person who would do such things as make calls to California from his base in Germany to help find a job for a longtime friend who was out of work.

“He was always there to help someone when they needed it,” said the friend’s wife, Laura Winget. “He was fun-loving, caring. He just loved life.”

Luna, who grew up in Oxnard and played football for Rio Mesa High School, joined the Army in 1999. He decided to re-enlist while in Iraq for another four years in the service, his father said.

“He felt that it was a way to help people out,” Robert Luna said. “He wanted to serve his country.”

Luna is survived by his wife, Stephanie; a son; and two brothers.