PORT ARTHUR — A former Memorial High School student is the third area soldier to lose his life in less than one year while taking part in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Brandon Keith Bobb, 20, and two other soldiers were killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their Humvee in Baghdad, Iraq on Tuesday.

Bobb spent three years at MHS before moving to Florida after Hurricane Rita forced his family to relocate. While there, he graduated from Riverview High School in Riverview, Fla.

Bobb was a military police officer with the 401st Military Police Company, 92nd Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade, out of Fort Hood, said Port Arthur Police Chief Mark Blanton.

Blanton said Bobb’s body is tentatively scheduled to arrive back in Texas on Saturday. Funeral services will be handled through Gabriel Funeral Home, however, no funeral date has been set at this time.

The soldier is the son of Paula Bobb Miles and Johnny Miles Sr. of Port Arthur.

Bobb’s death comes with the loss of two other local soldiers still fresh on the minds of many.

Sabine Pass native U.S. Army Spc. Ryan Berg, 19, was killed Jan. 9 in Baqubah, Iraq, just days after returning to combat. He was shot in the torso.

Port Arthur native U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Edward “Jay” Reynolds, 27, was killed on Sept. 26 when a roadside bomb collapsed a bridge as his convoy was crossing. Reynolds’ vehicle went into the river below, trapping him inside. The soldier was rescued from the vehicle, but died en route to the hospital.

A multitude of locals turned out to show their respect for Berg and Reynolds as their bodies arrived home for funeral services — thousands of people lining roadways, holding signs and flags in support of the fallen soldiers.

The Patriot Guard, a national group of motorcycle riders from across the nation who attend the services of the military’s fallen heroes, were on hand for both Berg and Reynolds’ funeral processions. Their Web site shows the group is awaiting for official word of Bobb’s funeral services and likely will visit the area once more to support a grieving community.