A 21-year-old northwest Iowa native has died in Iraq. Army Specialist Chad Groepper was shot Sunday.

Groepper was a graduate of Kingsley-Pierson High School. Randy Wiese was his principal. "At least the last year, year and a half that he was in high school he wanted to be in the Army and that was his goal," Wiese says. "I know that he was looking forward to being in the Army and representing his country."

Groepper joined the Army in December of 2004. He is the son of Dave and Darcy Groepper of Kingsley and the soldier visited his family in Iowa last November, about a month after his baby daughter was born.

The soldier’s sister describes her brother as very energetic and someone who loved snow boarding, dirt bikes and four-wheeling.

Funeral arrangements are pending.