One of Ours

...''As I understand it, he was protecting his comrades, doing his duty,'' Morris said. He said three other troops also in the Humvee were not injured. Officials have not released details about Geoffrey Morris' death.

Morris said his son firmly believed in his mission. ''It meant a lot to him to be a defender of his country, but also the defender of the right of the Iraqi people to choose their government and how they want to live,'' he said.

When the two last talked about a week ago, the younger Morris once again told his father about his duty. ''He said, 'As soon as they stop killing each other, stop killing us, we're out of here. But we're not leaving until the job is done.'

''He did not want to die but he said many times and in letters . . . 'If I do die, Dad, I want you to know that I am right with God and everything will be OK.' ''...