LOWELL, Mass. (AP) – An Army private who died in Iraq is the first Lowell resident to lose his life in the war, officials said Monday.

Pfc. John Landry Jr., 20, died over the weekend, said Joseph Dussault, the city’s veteran’s services director. Other details of Landry’s death had not been released Monday.

Pamela Landry, the soldier’s mother, told The Boston Globe that he said goodbye to his parents on March 7 after spending time in Florida with them while home on leave. She told the newspaper he died on Saturday.

She recalled a line from a letter that her son had written recently as he recounted scoring a perfect 6-for-6 on a markmanship test.

“‘Don’t worry about me, mom,”‘ Pamela Landry said, quoting from the letter. “‘I’ll be okay.”‘

“It’s terribly sad to lose someone so young with his entire life ahead of him,” Mayor William Martin said. “Private Landry was a true hero who gave his life for his country and we are all grateful for his sacrifice. The entire city’s thoughts and prayers are with Private Landry and his family.”

The flag outside city hall was lowered to half staff.

Landry is the son of John and Pamela Landry and was a graduate of Lowell Catholic High School. He served as a rifleman with the 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, in the 4th Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Cavalry Division, based at Fort Hood, Texas.

“John was a patriot, who answered his country’s call to duty and made the ultimate sacrifice,” U.S. Rep. Martin Meehan said in a statement.

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