LAGRANGE COUNTY — Family and friends are looking back on the life of a LaGrange County soldier killed in the War on Terror. The Department of Defense confirmed Tuesday that U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Kristopher Rodgers was killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his Humvee in Northern Afghanistan.

SSgt. Rodgers, 29, was serving with the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division based out of Fort Hood, Texas when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. It happened on Saturday in Korengal, Afghanistan, according to the Defense Department.

Friends and family say It was Rodgers' life long dream to serve his country, by fighting for freedom.

"He wanted to go to Afghanistan," said his mother-in-law, Sherry Evans. "And we as a family, and as a group supported him 100 percent."

SSgt. Rodgers grew up in Howe, Indiana and attended Lakeland High School in LaGrange, where he graduated in 1998. He recently moved to Burr Oak, Michigan, just east of Sturgis, with his wife Selina and 3-year-old son Kaden.

Evans says they were his focus every day he was away.

"He just wanted to protect everybody. If he could help, he was going to do his all. If it was a way to protect his family, or you or me, he was going to do it," she said.

"He loved his wife and kid," echoed Rich Ultz, Rodgers' brother-in-law.

He was, by all accounts, a dedicated soldier.

"The military was very important to him," said Greg Hackman, director of Hackman Foglesong Funeral Home, who are handling his funeral arrangements. "He served his country in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and he served in the Army for 8 years."

"He was a very proud man of what he was doing for all of us and our country," agreed Evans.

His family, in turn, is proud of his accomplishments, not only on the battlefield, but on the sports field.

Rodgers was a star athlete at Lakeland High School, excelling at both football and track.

"Sometimes kids stick out in your mind, and he was an individual that stuck out in my mind," said Rodgers' track coach Nick Efthimou. "He was a character individual. Whatever you'd ask him to do, he'd do."

"He played football like it was going to be his last game, every play," agreed Lakeland Football Coach Keith Thompson. "I can remember, his junior year, he put a hurting on a quarterback, and got the ball loose, and it saved the game for us, and saved our perfect season that year. He was all conference as a weak side linebacker his junior year, and then a team captain his senior year."

Football was such a part of Rodgers' life that his family has asked that it be a central focus as they remember him. Rodgers will be given full military honors on the same football field at Lakeland where he was a star more than a decade ago.

He was also a big sports fan.

"He was an extreme Chicago Bears fan, and he loved the Notre Dame Fighting Irish," said Hackman.

"He cheered for the Detroit Red Wings," added Evans, with a smile, pointing to a picture of Kaden in a Red Wings hockey jersey.

The pictures of his success still bring big smiles from family and friends, and accolades from his coaches-- not for his accomplishments, but for his merit as a leader.

"He would help anyone -- sacrifice for the team or for a friend, and obviously, he gave the ultimate sacrifice for his country," said Thompson.

His focus now is the same as Rodgers' family: the legacy he's left behind that's touched so many, both on the field and off.

Visitation for Staff Sergeant Rodgers is set for Thursday August 28th from 6pm-8pm and Friday August 29th from 2pm-4pm and 6pm-8pm at Hackman Funeral Home in Sturgis.

Funeral Services will be held on Saturday, August 30th at 1 pm at Sturgis Wesleyan Church.

An honor guard processional to Lakeland High School will immediately follow.