HOOKER (AP) -- The mother of an Oklahoma soldier who died when a roadside bomb exploded south of Baghdad said he had an interest in the military from an early age and she was proud when he joined the Army.

Second Lt. Luke S. James, 24, was one of three soldiers killed in the explosion Tuesday near Iskandariyah. Also killed were Staff Sgt. Lester O. Kinney II, 27, of Zanesville, Ohio, and Sgt. Cory R. Mracek, 26, of Hay Springs, Neb. (See "OKLAHOMANS")

James grew up in this town of about 1,500 people in the Oklahoma Panhandle. His father, Bradley James, is a retired Army Reserves major.

"We all just knew that's what he wanted to do," his mother, Arleen James, said in a telephone interview Friday. "He wore the Army fatigues. He enjoyed dressing in those. He'd just say 'I'm playing Army today.' We are talking when he was 3 or 4 years of age."

James played football at Hooker High School and graduated near the top of his class. He graduated from Oklahoma State University, where he was in the ROTC. He earned a degree in animal science.

He was commissioned as a second lieutenant on Dec. 13, 2002. He became a member of the 82nd Airborne Division and left Fort Bragg, N.C., for Iraq on Jan. 15.

"We had a couple of e-mails from him," Arleen James said. "Things weren't too busy and it was cold and he said that he loved us and missed us.

"We are very thankful for the communications we were able to have."

She said her son enjoyed the camaraderie of the military.

"He certainly died loving what he was doing," she said. "He always wanted to serve his country.

"We are very proud as parents that he had the attitude he had and wanted to serve."

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Army 2nd Lt. Luke S. James from the Oklahoma Panhandle, killed last month in Iraq, was buried Tuesday at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

A horse-drawn carriage carried James' flag-covered casket to the cemetery where 24 of his fellow Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans have been laid to rest.

James, 24, was one of three soldiers killed Jan. 27 -- about a week after his arrival -- when a bomb exploded near Iskandariyah.

The Hooker High School alum was a platoon leader assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 505th Infantry, out of Fort Bragg, N.C.

He graduated near the top of his high school class and entered the ROTC at Oklahoma State University, where he earned a degree in animal science.

Eight Oklahoma servicemen died during the first year of the war in Iraq, along with one soldier with close ties to the state and a civilian University of Tulsa Law School graduate.

President Bush announced the start of the war one year ago Friday.

Following is a chronology on the deaths of the Oklahomans in the war.

(Note: See individual names and death dates for profiles)

Jan. 27: Second Lt. Luke S. James, 24, of Hooker was one of three soldiers killed when a bomb exploded near Iskandariyah.

The incident occurred about one week after his arrival.

His mother said James had an interest in the military from an early age. His father, Bradley James, is a retired Army Reserve major.

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