Brandon R Sapp

LAKE WORTH, Fla. — A 21-year-old soldier who joined the military in order to boost a future career in law enforcement was killed in Iraq when a bomb exploded under his Army vehicle, officials and family members said.

Pfc. Brandon R. Sapp, of Lake Worth, died Sunday when his M2 Bradley fighting vehicle hit an improvised explosive device in Najaf, Iraq, the Department of Defense said.

Sapp was awarded a Purple Heart for his injuries and a Bronze Star, said his father, John Sapp of Lake Worth.

“He wanted to fight for what’s right,” John Sapp said. “He had a chance not to go (to Iraq), but he said they trained him to do this and he was not going to sit around and not do...