RANCHO CUCAMONGA, October 19, 2006 - Mark Paine's future was wide open when he finished high school, with acceptances from a number of highly ranked universities; he chose to serve his country and graduated from West Point.

"He's one of those guys who could have been successful at anything," said his friend, Mark Benson. "He kept high morals and everyday he lived those morals."

Capt. Paine, 32, of Rancho Cucamonga, died Sunday when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Taji, just north of Baghdad, in Iraq, according to the Department of Defense. Paine was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division in Fort Hood, Texas.

Paine's friends from Campolindo High School in Moraga remembered the soldier as an outstanding leader who set an example of loyalty and kindness for everyone around him. He even spent his two-week leave from Iraq meeting with relatives of slain soldiers, they said.

"His company had taken some pretty bad hits, and he actually interfaced deeply with the families of the men who had been killed. He's just a superb individual," said Benson's father, retired Navy Admiral Burt Benson.

Paine was on his second tour of duty in Iraq, and had been due home at Christmas.

His family, who moved to Rancho Cucamonga after he graduated from West Point, declined comment.


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