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Mass. soldier killed in Afghanistan

DALTON, Mass. (AP) - A Dalton man is mourning the death of his soldier son who was killed by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan.

Officials at Fort Bliss, Texas, said 24-year-old Army Spc. Mitchell Kirk Daehling is among three soldiers killed in the Tuesday attack.

Kirk Daehling said Friday he remembers his son as someone who "just loved life ... He always had a smile ... He was proud to serve his country."

Daehling spoke to The Associated Press shortly after returning from Dover Air Force Base, Del., where he received his son's remains.

Mitchell Daehling was a 2006 graduate of Wahconah Regional High School. He also attended Daniel Webster College in Nashua, N.H.

He is survived by his wife, Samantha - whom he married last June - and two siblings.

Funeral arrangements are pending.