Army Captain Andrew R. "Drew" Pearson, 32, formerly of Billings, died while serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Defense said Friday.

Pearson, along with Specialist Ronald J. Tucker, 21, of Fountain, Colorado, died in Baghdad from injuries suffered when their vehicle was hit by roadside bomb.

The men were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division out of Fort Hood, Texas. Pearson, an infantry officer, entered the military in June 1998. He was a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and Billings Senior High.

Pearson was on his third and what his family expected to be his final tour of duty in the Middle East, said his stepmother, Rene Johnson of Lockwood. He had served in Afghanistan and in Iraq, where he was working to open schools and hospitals, Johnson said. "He kept telling me he wanted the country to be safe," Johnson said. "He wanted to be a soldier."

Johnson said Pearson is survived by his wife and four children in Fort Hood as well as two sisters and his father, Ronald Pearson, in Billings. Funeral services are being arranged in Texas and in Virginia, where Pearson will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. He had been assigned to the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division since February 2007. Pearson and Tucker deployed to Iraq in March 2008.

Pearson's awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Meritorious Unit Commendation, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, American Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Air Assault, Combat Infantry Badge, Expert Infantry Badge, Parachutist Badge, and the Ranger Tab.