Defense Department Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced Wednesday the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Pfc. Cody O. Moosman, 24, of Preston, Idaho, died July 3, in Gayan Alwara Mandi, Afghanistan, when enemy forces attacked his unit with small arms fire. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.

Moosman joined the Army in 2010, at age 22. He was an avid hunter and fisherman who had completed his Eagle Scout badge in the Boy Scouts.

"Cody told us when he was in 3rd grade that he wanted to be in the Army when he grew up," said the Moosman family in a statement released on Tuesday. "We think his experience as a Boy Scout, who reached the level of Eagle Scout, helped prepare him for his role as a soldier. He loved the idea of protecting his fellow citizens."

"Our family enjoyed watching him stand up for America. Cody loved the outdoors, and hunting and fishing were his passion... We loved him, and we will miss him very much."

The soldier leaves behind his mother and father, two brothers and two sisters, his grandparents and his nieces and nephews.