Army Staff Sgt. Joseph Gage, 28; Modesto; killed by bomb in Iraq

Army Staff Sgt. Joseph Gage was just a few days away from completing his second tour of duty in Iraq when he was killed Nov. 2 by a roadside bomb.

The 28-year-old Modesto native was one of three soldiers killed when the bomb exploded near their Humvee in Baghdad, according to the Department of Defense.

Gage, a 10-year military veteran who received an Army Good Conduct Medal and several other commendations, was based with the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division at Ft. Campbell, Ky.

The others killed were Lt. Col. Paul Finken, 40, of Earling, Iowa, who also was based at Ft. Campbell; and Lt. Col. Eric J. Kruger, 40, of Garland, Texas.

Gage and his wife, Samantha, who met in Hawaii, would have celebrated their seventh wedding anniversary Nov. 6.

The couple have a 6-year-old son.

Military officials notified Gage’s family and sent a chaplain to meet with his parents at their home in Hickman, just east of Modesto.

“He had 11 days left,” Randy Gage, his father, told the Modesto Bee. “He should have been coming home.”

Gage attended Downey and Johansen high schools in Modesto before joining the Army in 1997.

Gage had recently signed up for 12 more years, according to his parents. His first deployment to Iraq was in 2003, and he began a second tour about a year ago. He was scheduled for duty in Germany after his leave.

His stepmother, Tamara Gage, said Gage was dedicated to the war against terrorism.

“He was a very good soldier, a good man, a good father and a good husband,” she said.