
Spc. Rasheed Sahib, 22, of New York City, was remembered by family and friends as a big-hearted guy who was hoping the military would be a stepping stone to a better life in America.
He was killed in Iraq May 18 when another soldier’s gun discharged while he was cleaning it and the bullet struck him in the chest.
Sahib’s family came to the United States from Guyana in 1988, and his sister Nafeeza, 18, said he dreamed of going to college and becoming an FBI agent. “He did it (join the military) so it could help him more in life,” she said. “He really wanted the training.”
Sahib, who was nicknamed Smiley by his younger cousins and friends, joined the military nearly three years ago. His relatives and friends said they had not heard from him since...