" Brian was a terrific kid," said Mazzella, who teaches at Summers County High School in West Virginia. "He was kind, well-behaved and an A-No. 1 student. Karim , 22, of Talcott, W. Va., was killed with three other members of his unit Dec. 13, 2005, when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle northwest of Baghdad. He was assigned to Fort Riley
The deaths of the four men, the last four from Ft. Riley killed in Iraq, also marked the second-highest single-day casualty count for the post in the conflict.
"He was just one of the good kids," said Principal Lynn Crowder. "It is hard for all of us to think he had so much potential and just to think that everything is now lost," said David Harvey, who graduated with Karim .
Karim was on his second deployment to Iraq. Harvey said he last saw Karim about three months ago. He told him, "Oh, so you're back, thanks for serving over there, and thanks for doing this.' And he said, 'You know, you're the first person to thank me,'" Harvey said.
He and his wife Rachel were voted cutest couple when they were seniors in high school.
