After graduating Sgt. Veverka wanted to be a marine biologist and he’d already traveled across the country pursuing his interest. He’d wanted to work at San Diego’s Sea World, then pursue graduate studies in Alaska.

While in Iraq, Mrs. Polley said her son had a positive attitude about the war.

“He wasn’t afraid, he was excited to go,” Mrs. Polley said. “He said, ‘Mom, I’m OK, everything’s cool.’ ”

He regularly spoke to his family, including his brothers Keith and Douglas and sister Sandra, on a regular basis with phone calls and via the Internet.

“I never even thought about this,” Ronald Veverka said of dealing with his son’s death. “He told us before he left that this was his calling.”

Serving in the military allowed him to afford to pursue the education he wanted and he felt going to Iraq was something “he had to do,” Ronald Veverka said.

Carol Polley said she felt something was wrong since Friday night, when she couldn’t sleep.

“I worry about David 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week,” Mrs. Polley said.

But throughout Saturday, she said she couldn’t get her son out of her mind. She said she wondered what she would do if something was happening to him.

“That whole day Carol kept asking if Dave was OK,” Polley said.

“I said, ‘What would I do?’ if I saw military men out there,” Mrs. Polley said. “Well, that night I found out. I’m still alive. I’ll never forget those three men standing there.”

“He was the best kid,” Ronald Veverka said. “I don’t understand why they did this. Why do they do it to these good kids?”