A Mastic family is mourning the loss of its son after he was killed in the war in Iraq.

The vehicle Army Specialist Thomas Wilwerth, 21, was riding in struck a bomb north of Baghdad last week. Two of Wilwerth?s colleagues were also killed in the same incident.

Family members say Wilwerth?s determination to join the army was strengthened after the 9/11 terror attacks. Wilwerth enlisted in the army while he was a junior at William Floyd High School. He attended basic training after his junior year and finished high school while serving in the Army Reserve.

Funeral arrangements for Wilerth will be held in Mastic, but have not yet been made.

Related Link: Department of Defense News Release