Sgt. Lester D. Baroncini Jr., 33, of Bakersfield, Calif., and Pfc. Stephen D. Bicknell, 19, of Prattville, Ala., died Sunday in Samarra, Iraq, the military said.

Both soldiers were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg.

Baroncini was moved to join the Army after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, but his interest in the military started when he was young, his family pastor said Thursday. When he was a boy, one of Baroncini's favorite Halloween costumes was fatigues so he could pretend to be a soldier.

Baroncini had been in the Army since October 2003 and had gone to the Gulf Coast in October 2005 after Hurricane Katrina, according to information released by the Army.

Baroncini handled weapons for his company and often spoke about how he wanted to return to California and work on his grandparents' ranch, the news release said.

"He was a Bakersfield boy. He went to Bakersfield High, raised steers, typical cowboy," said the Rev. Craig Harrison of St. Francis of Assisi Church, serving as a family spokesman. Relatives declined to comment.

Bicknell joined the Army in January and arrived in Iraq in July, according to a news release from the 82nd Airborne Division. He leaves behind a wife, Miranda, and his parents, Jeffery and Chularat Bicknell.

(Staff writer Sarah Ovaska contributed to this report.)

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