Sgt. Kyle Dayton, 22, of El Dorado Hills was remembered Wednesday as a loyal friend and excited father who looked forward returning home to his wife and 3-1/2-month-old son.

The Oak Ridge High School graduate died Monday in a noncombat-related incident in Iraq, according to a news release from the Army's 82nd Airborne Division based in Fort Bragg, N.C.

Dayton, a paratrooper and infantry team leader, was responding with his unit to a logistics convoy accident when one of the vehicles involved unexpectedly ignited near the Al Anbar Province, the release says. The accident is under investigation.

"He was the most loyal person I ever met -- stubborn as hell, but loyal," said James Banuelos, explaining that the two became best friends during their junior year at Oak Ridge. "When he thought he was right, he would fight to the death to make sure people knew he was right."

Dayton's wife, Nicole, said in an e-mail that she and Dayton attended high school together but really got to know each other about three years ago.

"If a friend was ever in need, Kyle would be the first one by their side," she said. "From the first conversation we had, I knew I wanted to be part of his life."

Kyle Dayton served a in Afghanistan before he was sent to Iraq in June. He had been with the 82nd Airborne Division since September 2005.

Nicole Dayton said she moved to North Carolina when he returned from Afghanistan, and they were married soon afterward. She was six months pregnant when they learned he was going to Iraq.

"What I'll remember most about Kyle was his laugh, and his amazing ability to make me laugh when I needed it and his unfailing selfless nature," Nicole Dayton said. "When I was pregnant, Kyle went out at 11 p.m. and used his last two dollars to get me the Dairy Queen hot dogs I just couldn't live without."

Banuelos said he and Kyle Dayton lived a few houses from each other in El Dorado Hills after Dayton moved in with his grandparents, Eleanor and Jim Miller. The two youths were like brothers.

"We were always there for each other," Banuelos said.

They participated in football as well as track and field at Oak Ridge High. Dayton was a defensive end and outside line backer on the varsity team, and also threw the shot put and discus, Banuelos recalled.

The two went their separate ways after graduation. Banuelos enrolled at the University of California, Riverside, and Dayton enlisted in the Army in 2003. But Banuelos said the two continued to e-mail each other regularly. The friends last corresponded about three days before Dayton died.

Dayton enlisted in the military because he didn't think he was ready for college, Banuelos said, but his goal was eventually to become a police officer.

Dayton was affected by his experience in Afghanistan, his friend said.

"For the first time, he was not as confident in himself," Banuelos said. "He thought he was going to die."

But Kyle Dayton began to get some of his old spirit back after he married, Banuelos said.

Nicole Dayton said her husband was her best friend. "The one thing I really wish he could have done was hold our son Sean just once," she said. "He was so excited about becoming a daddy."

Kyle Dayton received numerous awards and decorations, including the Bronze Star Medal and the Purple Heart.

In addition to his wife, son and grandparents, he is survived by his mother, Linda McLaurin of Tracy.