U.S. Army First Lt. Ryan Dennison

U.S. Army First Lt. Ryan Dennison was killed by small arms fire Wednesday, said Jack and Shannon Dennison. The Army declined to give them more details.

This was Lt. Dennison's first deployment to Iraq, his parents said. He was sent to Kuwait in August and went to Iraq in early September.

Lt. Dennison, 24, was a member of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team of the 82nd Airborne Division.

The Dennisons, along with daughter Colleen, 23, and Chris, 19, will be heading to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware today as Lt. Dennison's body is returned to the United States. They expect to return today.

"We wanted to be there when he came back," Ms. Dennison said.

Lt. Dennison's wife, Haley Dennison, is a U.S. Army soldier serving in Afghanistan and is having trouble getting out of the country because of bad weather, Ms. Dennison said.

His parents are holding off on funeral arrangements because they want to wait until Haley returns, she said. However, Lt. Dennison did not want a military funeral and wanted to be laid to rest in North Carolina near where his grandparents are buried because he loved the mountains there. The family is considering having a memorial service to honor him.

Mr. and Mrs. Dennison, who were both members of the military, spent Thursday evening receiving phone calls from family and friends and looking over pictures of Lt. Dennison.

Ms. Dennison proudly showed the pictures of her son and lovingly gazed at the photos.

Two pictures showed Lt. Dennison and Haley at Ceresville Mansion on July 17, 2004 -- their wedding day. Another showed Haley in Afghanistan with two Afghans; the next showed Lt. Dennison saluting his sister, Colleen, after she graduated from the United States Naval Academy. The final picture showed Lt. Dennison in full military fatigues with an Iraqi sheik.

While at Urbana High School, Lt. Dennison was a member of the football and wrestling teams and was involved in Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.

Teachers still talk about Lt. Dennison, Ms. Dennison said proudly.

Lt. Dennison graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 2004.

"He thrived there," she said.

"It was the right place for him," Mr. Dennison added.

Lt. Dennison excelled there -- he was selected as freshman soldier of the fall quarter 1st Regiment, was a member of the West Point Parachute Team, The Black Knights, and was named to the dean's list.

In his free time, he was an avid reader and loved history -- especially the Civil War.

"I think the West Point motto is Duty, Honor, Country -- I think that epitomizes Ryan," Mr. Dennison said.

"He was a warrior," Ms. Dennison added. "He was just an inspiration to a lot of people."

Since he was deployed, his parents had received several e-mails and about four phone calls from their son. The last time they heard from him was via e-mail on Nov. 3.

"It was a good conversation," Ms. Dennison said.

Lt. Dennison made sure his parents, siblings and wife knew he was doing what he loved and was prepared to die for his country, Ms. Dennison said.

"Ryan has lots and lots of friends," Ms. Dennison said. "He will be missed by a lot of people. We look at his time here as a gift."

Lt. Dennison is the third soldier from Frederick County to be killed in the Iraq war. U.S. Army 1st Lt. Robert Seidel III, 23, formerly of Emmitsburg , died in Baghdad on May 18. U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. James Higgins, 22, of Thurmont , died July 27 in Al Anbar.