Flag-festooned motorcycles of the Patriot Guard Riders escort the funeral procession of Sgt. Gary Willett on Orange Grove Road after a ceremony at Desert Sunset Funeral Home.

Kelly Presnell / arizona daily star

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Army Sgt. Gary D. Willett went back to Iraq because he wanted to help children there.

The 34-year-old New Mexico native, whose parents live in Tucson, looked forward to his second deployment so he could give candy and toys to Iraqi children.

"He fought this war because he believed the children could have a better life," said the Rev. Wendy Hackler during a Wednesday memorial service for the soldier, who was killed earlier this month in a roadside bomb attack.

Relatives and fellow soldiers described Willett as a strong-willed individual determined to live life to the fullest.

As a noncommissioned officer, he held the soldiers he commanded to the highest standards and took care of them as though they were family, said 2nd Lt. Daniel O'Connor, a member of Willett's unit.

O'Connor experienced Willett's discipline firsthand when the lieutenant entered the Army as a private.

Willett caught O'Connor chewing gum in formation and took the new soldier to task, the lieutenant said.

Willett made such an impression on O'Connor that he swore off gum.

"He required much of those who served with him," O'Connor said. "I can't even think of Sgt. Willett as a private. I imagine he came into the Army as a sergeant."

Willett and three other members of his unit were killed Feb. 8 in Taji, Iraq, when a roadside bomb struck their vehicle.

He lived in Alamogordo, N.M., though he often used leave time to visit his parents in Tucson, where they moved in 2002. Willett's former wife and his son live in Alamogordo.

A member of the 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, based out of Schofield Barracks in Hawaii, Willett was serving his second tour in Iraq.

He served as a squad leader assigned to the 3rd Platoon, Bravo Company, in the unit.

Willett loved the Army and exhibited great courage during combat missions, O'Connor said.

"Sgt. Willett was made of infantry steel — relentless, unbending, even in the worst of times," he said.

The conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have claimed 32 other service members with with ties to Tucson and other communities in Southern Arizona.

Family members remembered Willett as a feisty youth they called Calvin, a reference to the fictional blond-haired child from Bill Watterson's "Calvin and Hobbes" comic strip.

Willett's resemblance to the character was more than skin deep — he lived in a way reminiscent of the cartoon's antics, including building jump ramps for his bicycle.

The oldest of three children, Willett was known to fight for the underdog. And when he set his mind to do something, it was best to get out of his way, said Patrick Mills, Willett's stepfather.

"If it was there, he did it," Mills said. "He was going to do it all."

His family always knew Willett was destined for public service, though they thought he might become a firefighter or police officer. He enlisted in the Army in 1995.

Once he became a sergeant, Willett worked hard to be one of the best noncommissioned officers in the Army, said Staff Sgt. Richard Gallego, who previously served with him in Hawaii.

"We always wanted to outshine other NCOs," Gallego said.

Willett set an example of great leadership, which the unit will continue to honor, O'Connor said. "We will fight hard for you every day," he said. "You would expect no less."