JEFFERSON, Iowa (AP) — Friends and family members of an Iowa soldier killed in Iraq remembered him as a man of strong faith who did the right thing.

Army Capt. Matthew Nielson’s funeral was held Sunday at the Greene County Community Center in his Jefferson, Iowa, hometown. The 27-year-old died June 29 during an attack in Badrah, Iraq.

The Des Moines Register reports that Maj. Gen. Will Grimsley said Nielson was deeply rooted in his values.

The Rev. Stephen Ude of Zion Lutheran Church in Ogden says he doesn’t know why people’s loved ones die, but he encouraged Nielson’s family to remember God’s everlasting love.

Nielson joined the Army after graduating from the University of Northern Iowa. His family has said he had wanted to be a soldier since he was a young boy.