The U.S. Army said Pfc. Katie M. Soenksen, 19, was killed in west Baghdad when an improvised explosive device detonated near her vehicle.

She was assigned to the 410th Military Police Company, 720th Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade, based out of Fort Hood, Texas. An Army spokesman could not provide further details late Thursday about Pfc. Soenksen or what she was doing when she was killed.

Her father, Ronald Soenksen of Davenport, said he was told she was conducting a security mission when her convoy was attacked. Mr. Soenksen said Pfc. Soenksen arrived in Iraq last summer and was due back home in June.

"She was determined in everything she did in her life," Mr. Soenksen told The Associated Press. "She was determined to make a difference." He said he last talked to her on Tuesday, and that she told him she was preparing for a mission the next day.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Army visited his home to tell him she was dead. Despite his loss, Mr. Soenksen said he supports the mission in Iraq and never tried to discourage his daughter from joining the Army. "She was on a mission," he said. "She wanted to go over there and keep (the war) on foreign soil. That was her main goal."

Pfc. Soenksen's godfather and niece both joined the military, and she showed her ambitions to follow them by joining the ROTC in high school, he said.

Her father said it was natural to feel some fear for his daughter's safety, but she often "talked about how much fun she was having." "She loved it," he said. "She knew what she was doing when she got into it."

He said his daughter believed she was doing good in Iraq and that she was upset about how the media was portraying the situation. Other family members declined comment Thursday.

In a posting on the Web site www.americasupportsyou.mil , Pfc. Soenksen said being deployed "is one of the hardest things to do. But being here makes me realize how good we have it in America."

She also mentioned how messages from friends, family and others buoyed her.

"When times get rough and I don't know what to do, I just look in my email and there's an email from friends and family saying how much they are proud of me. Every day I go into the chow hall and on the wall is a big American flag that elementary students made with paint and their hand prints. Just the little things are what keep us going."

The Web site is part of "America Supports You," a nationwide program launched by the Department of Defense to help communicate support to members of the military at home and abroad.

"Bubbly" was a good word to describe the 2005 Davenport North High School graduate, said Katie Bieber, 18, Davenport. She and Pfc. Soenksen were friends for about two years while they attended Davenport North.

"She definitely wasn't quiet," Ms. Bieber said. "She liked to get excited about things." Pfc. Soenksen was athletic and into sports, including softball, Ms. Bieber said.

"She was really energetic and fun, but if you needed somebody, she could really tone it down and be supportive," she said. "I just always remembered that if I needed somebody, I could always go to her."

Funeral arrangements are being handled by the Halligan-McCabe-DeVries Funeral Home.

A memorial page for Ms. Soenksen has been set up on Facebook. You must register in order to see it. A sampling of comments from the memorial page:

--"Katie you were full of energy and brought life to the boring walls of JFK..."

-- Beautiful, caring and determined ... Katie, thanks for being a friend."