Army Pfc. Kevin Luna, 26, Oxnard; Killed by ‘Friendly Fire’ in Iraq

Kevin Luna was happiest when he was helping others. Whenever he was on leave from the Army, he could be found doing house repairs for a neighbor or building a koi pond for a friend.

“You’d just mention something you wanted done and he’d get up and do it,” said close friend Laura Winget. “And if he didn’t know how to do something, he’d call someone who knew.”

That’s how friends and family remember the private first class, who was killed by “friendly fire” Jan. 27 in Muqdadiyah, Iraq. The incident is still under investigation, according to the Department of Defense.

Luna, 26, of Oxnard was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 63rd Armor Regiment, 1st Infantry Division in Vilseck, Germany.

He had done tours in Kosovo and was on his second tour in the Middle East when he decided to reenlist for another four years, said his mother, Theresa.

“The way he was talking, he wanted to make it into a career,” she said. “He really believed in what he was doing.”

A week before he died, Luna chatted on the phone with his mother about co-signing for a new car and plans to visit his hometown with his wife, Stephanie, 23, in June. The couple met in Germany and had been married for about two years.

The couple wanted to eventually move back to the United States so Luna could be closer to his family and 7-year-old son, Glenn, of Ventura, from a previous relationship, his mother said.

“As much as he wanted to serve his country, he went into the military to provide for his son,” she said. “He was a generous father.”

Luna graduated from Rio Mesa High School, where he played on the football team.

The eldest of three sons, he was an avid snowboarder and never missed an opportunity to go fishing with his father, Robert, at Oxnard Shores.

“They had a secret spot they’d go to,” his mother said. “They wouldn’t tell anybody where it was, but they always came back with a good catch.”

The family was surprised when Luna, then 21, enlisted in the military, but said it was in his character to make a career out of helping others.

His smile could light a room, friends said, and Luna’s happy-go-lucky nature made him popular in any crowd.

“A lot of times when you meet someone, [you’re] shy or uncomfortable,” Winget said. “But he was friendly off the bat, as if he knew you his whole life.”

A memorial service for Luna was held Feb. 4 in Oxnard.