A 25-year-old soldier based at Fort Carson has been killed in Iraq, becoming the 67th soldier from the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment to die in the war.

Spc. Jared W. Kubasak, 25, of Rocky Mount, Va., died when a roadside bomb detonated near his convoy, the Army said Tuesday. He was part of the regiment’s 3rd Squadron. In all, 153 Fort Carson have died in Iraq since the 2003 invasion.

Kubasak was home as recently as last month to celebrate his birthday, family friends said, and was scheduled to return home in March after his tour ended.

Patti Smith, a neighbor of the family, said Kubasak visited the Virginia Veteran’s Care center, where she works, when he was home last month to visit with veterans. His high school principal, Benny Gibson, remembered Kubasak as a Cub Scout who grew up to be a serious, focused young man.

“The thing about Jared is you could see his progression each year in maturity,” said Gibson, principal of Franklin County High School in Rocky Mount, population 5,100.

Gibson knew Kubasak as a child, one of the Scouts in the same troop as his own son. He told The Gazette newspaper the well-muscled, lanky teenager was known for his dedication to getting things done right.

“I knew he would do well and be committed to whatever he did,” Gibson said. “I knew the Army is what he wanted to do.”

The regiment has recently been tracking down insurgents ahead of Iraq’s parliamentary elections. Regiment spokesman Maj. Gary Dangerfield said cooperation with Iraqi forces is key.

“Iraqi security forces are out conducting patrols ... something that was nearly impossible several months ago,” he wrote the Gazette in an e-mail from Tal Afar. “The sight of children playing in the newly reconstructed city park was a heartwarming reminder that this city is moving in the right direction.”

Dangerfield said similar progress is being made in Baghdad, where Kubasak was working to train Iraqi forces.

Proceeds from the SPC Jared W. Kubasak bracelet will be donated to Legacies Alive.