Oregon Public Broadcasting

Private First Class Tan Quoc Ngo will be buried at the Willamette National Cemetery Friday. As Kristian Foden-Vencil reports, he was a much loved soldier.

Ngo’s job was manning the machine gun on the top of his humvee. The Beaverton man was killed last week while on patrol in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

The vehicle was hit by a rocket propelled grenade and small arms fire.

Company Commander, Capt. Terry Howell,  says Ngo died doing what he loved.

Terry Howell: “He took his job serious and I thought he was a great professional. What I did see … like some of the men would say, he was the one who could brighten everybody’s day up and he was the one that was always making everybody laugh.”

The 20-year-old was born in Portland and is the oldest of four brothers. He attended Elmonica Elementary, Five Oaks Middle School and Westview High.

After graduation he served in the Job Corps and then decided to join the Army, with the idea of furthering his education.

His family says he was great with this brothers – getting up early to take them to school.

Memorial donations will go toward their education.