Coronado-based Navy Seal Charles Humphrey Keating IV was fatally shot Tuesday, May 3 in a town near Mosul, Iraq.  Keating died from a “coordinated and complex attack by roughly 100 ISIS fighters nearly 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) north of Mosul, Pentagon officials confirmed Tuesday,” CNN reported.

The 31-year-old Keating was described as a dedicated, special, strong will-powered gentlemen that put his heart and soul into serving his country.

Keating is the third American serviceman to die in combat in Iraq since the summer of 2014, when the US began its campaign against the Islamic State.

Keating was a former student-athlete at Indiana University,from 2004-06. Following in his father’s he  excelled academically as well as through track and field. He was a dedicated cross country runner and when his former track coach, Rob Reniewicki, heard of his death, he was devastated.

“He was a tremendous athlete, a tremendous person. I’m devastated. I’m crushed. I’m trying to hold myself together,” said Reniewicki in a CNN report.

Friends and family were not shocked when Keating told them he had planned to attend the Naval Academy and become a Navy SEAL based out of San Diego, California. They believed that he was a man who wanted to be the best person he could be.

“You could tell he was a guy who wanted to be the best and find out what he was made of, and serving as special operations forces for his country embodied that,” said Robert Chapman, a former Indiana men’s cross country coach, according to the Intelligence Wheeling News-Register.

Several people believe Keating’s death should be a reminder for all those in combat, fighting for our country. The courage and willpower it takes to fulfil such dangerous positions and tasks is frequently underestimated.