TRACY, Calif. — A soldier who previously lived in Fayetteville, Ark., and had dreamed of defending his country since childhood died in Iraq when he was hit by an explosive, the Defense Department and his relatives said July 10.

Pfc. Bruce C. Salazar Jr., 24, of Tracy died July 6 in the town of Muhammad Sath. He had been stationed at Fort Stewart, Ga., before his 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, deployed to Iraq on May 11.

Salazar’s mother said her son had always wanted to join the armed forces, although at times he disagreed with the United States’ policy in Iraq.

“Even as a little kid, he loved to hang around the offices of the Army and Marines,” his mother Margaret Susan “Suzie” Ruiz said. “He didn’t understand why he was there, but he was going to fight for his country.”

Salazar was a “good kid with a big smile” who had recently requested a baseball mitt to play catch while he was off-duty, Ruiz said.

Salazar grew up in the Modesto area and in Corona and lived for a time in Davis, where he attended some high school, his mother said. His father, Bruce Salazar Sr. of Springdale, Ark., said Salazar grew up in California but lived in Fayetteville for “two, almost three years” after high school until he enlisted in the military.