Copied from CBSNEWS.com - Brandon S. Tobler, 19, worked at an electronics store to earn money for college before joining the Army Reserves.
He was sent to the Middle East as part of the 671st Engineer Brigade.
Tobler died March 22 when the Humvee in which he was riding crashed into the back of another vehicle during a blinding sandstorm. The Humvee was part of a convoy headed to Baghdad, said his uncle, Scott Tom.
Tobler's mother learned of his death when three military officials came to her home just as she, too, was arriving.
"She pulled up (to the house) and the military vehicle was in the driveway. It's your worst nightmare ... You see it in the movies, but you never think it will happen to you," said Tom.
The 671st Engineer Brigade builds bridges and provides other engineering support to troops.
Tobler grew up in Portland and graduated from Franklin High School.
He was an only child.