U.S. Army Spc. Dennis James Jr. died on Wednesday when his unit was attacked by insurgents with an improvised explosive device, officials said. (Fort Drum Public Affairs / September 2, 2011)

By Jeff Weiner, Orlando Sentinel

10:23 p.m. EDT, September 2, 2011

Spc. Dennis James Jr. loved working on his car, family said, and he had a passion for sports. But just three years into his service, he'd already decided that his future was in the military.

"He was going to make his career in the Army," said his aunt and guardian, Rhonda Williams of Deltona.

That career was cut short Wednesday in Afghanistan's Wardak province. James was killed when his unit was attacked by insurgents with an improvised explosive device, defense officials said.

Reached Friday night at her home, Williams described her nephew as a generous and kind man with a sense of humor, who loved to play basketball with his much taller cousins.

"You couldn't tell him that he wasn't the big dog of the group," Williams said. When he wasn't driving to the hoop, he was working on his car — "the Dodge Magnum with the big wheels," Williams said.

She said James ran track and played basketball and football while a student at Pine Ridge High School in Deltona. After graduation, she said, he set his sights on the service.

Officials said James joined the Army in June 2008. He was a driver with the 2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division based at Fort Polk, La.

His unit deployed to Afghanistan in October in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, officials said.

His awards and decorations include a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart, an Army Achievement Medal and an Army Good Conduct Medal, among others.

He leaves behind his aunt and uncle, his cousins and six siblings. His older brother Michael, Williams said, is also serving in the Army in Afghanistan.

The news of James' death comes just a day after officials reported that U.S. Army Pfc. Alberto L. Obod Jr. of Orlando had been killed last weekend in a vehicle rollover in Kandahar.

jeweiner@tribune.com or 407-420-5171