PORTLAND, Ore. — A soldier with Oregon ties has died in Iraq, family members said Monday.

Nainoa K. Hoe, 27, was shot and killed by a sniper last weekend as he led a foot patrol through Mosul, according to his wife of seven months, Emily Hoe, a Western Oregon University business student whose parents live in Newberg.

Nainoa Hoe was originally from Kailua, Hawaii, a Honolulu suburb, and graduated with a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Hawaii, according to his mother-in-law, Sharon Vo.

A first lieutenant in the Army, Hoe had been stationed at Fort Lewis, Wash., but hoped someday to join the FBI, his mother-in-law said.

Hours before his death, Nainoa Hoe had emailed his wife to tell her that he’d be home on leave in February, Vo said.

“We think he had that joy in his heart,” Vo said.

Nainoa and Emily Hoe were married last June during a simple sunset ceremony on a Hawaiian beach, Vo said, attended only by their families. The two were planning a formal reception for next fall, when Nainoa Hoe was due to return from Iraq, she said.

“He was a wonderful man. She fell in love with him immediately,” Vo said, of her daughter. “She has a notebook here with all his awards. He was a top soldier. He had done so much, it’s unbelievable. Now she is 21 and a widow.”

A memorial service in Hoe’s honor is planned at Fort Lewis, Vo said.

“He was following his duty, that was what he was doing,” Vo said. “We support the troops a thousand percent.”

FORT LEWIS, Wash. — A soldier from Hawaii who was killed in Iraq was remembered as a brother, husband and son Wednesday during a memorial service.

“He was a great guy,” said Pfc. Nakoa Hoe, the brother of 1st Lt. Nainoa K. Hoe. “He was a great brother, he was a great husband to my sister-in-law, and he was a great son to my parents.”

“I’m very proud him, and in 27 years of his life, I knew him for 19 of them. And I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Nakoa Hoe said.

Nainoa Hoe was shot to death by a sniper Saturday as he led a foot patrol in Mosul, according to the Defense Department.

“The truth of the matter is, Nainoa is not resting right now,” his brother said. “There’s no doubt in my mind that 1st Lt. Hoe is looking down on his men, protecting them, influencing their every decision, and just adding that little bit of luck that everybody needs in combat.”

The memorial service was held at the Main Post Chapel, where Hoe’s father, Allen Hoe, saluted a photograph of his son and embraced service members who came to pay their respects.

Nainoa Hoe graduated from Kamehameha Schools in 1995 and earned his bachelors degree in management information systems and a master’s in business administration from the University of Hawaii. He and his wife, Emily, married last June in Hawaii Kai.

He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, based out of Fort Lewis, Wash. He had been in Iraq since October.

Nakoa Hoe is with the 100th Battalion, 29th Brigade, based at Fort Shafter in Honolulu. The unit is scheduled to leave for Iraq from Fort Polk, La., within a month.

— Associated Press