Bradley Clark's job is to help bring the war dead home to their loved ones.

The fallen soldier he's taking home today is his only child, Sgt. Michael Kyle Clark.

Clark, a U.S. Army soldier from Sacramento, was killed in Iraq last week. He was only 24.

He died Oct. 7 in Mosul of wounds he suffered when he encountered small-arms fire while on foot patrol, the U.S. Defense Department announced Wednesday.

Bradley Clark, 51, is the director of operations for Kalitta Charters, a company based in Ypsilanti, Mich. The Defense Department contracts with Kalitta to transport home the dead who arrive from overseas to the military mortuary in Dover, Del.

The Kalitta charter jet carrying Michael Clark's body is scheduled to arrive in Sacramento today. His funeral service is scheduled for Sunday.

"We're proud to bring the fallen soldiers home," Bradley Clark said.

Michael Clark joined the Army four years ago and was on his second deployment to Iraq. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, Colo.

His job as a fire support specialist was to coordinate and determine which enemy targets to fire at, the Defense Department said.

Family members are devastated by Michael Clark's death.

"My son loved life with a passion," said his mother, Cherie Clark of Sacramento. "He had so much energy and life."

Knowing how much she worried, Clark, her only child, would send her an e-mail at least once a week. The last one arrived several days before he died, telling her: "Relax, mom. I'm okay. I'll talk to you soon."

Michael Clark, who grew up in Sacramento and Fiddletown, graduated early from Amador High School in Sutter Creek in 2000.

He joined the Army to support his country and to give his family a better life, said his mother, 54, an information systems analyst for the California Department of Corrections.

Michael Clark was scheduled to return from his second deployment in Iraq in early 2009. He had been accepted to the Army Ranger school, his mother said.

When he shattered his hip socket in a dirt bike accident after his first deployment, she had asked if he could use his injury to not go back. But he felt that he had a duty to his fellow soldiers, his mother said.

"If something happened, I couldn't live with myself," he told her.

He received a medal for a February incident in which he pulled four soldiers from a Humvee that had been attacked and hit by an IED (improvised explosive device), his mother said.

Three days before his death, he marked his fifth wedding anniversary with wife Nalini. Their son, Lucas, is 4 1/2.

"They were everything to him," Cherie Clark said.

She said her son loved to ride dirt bikes and owned a custom-built motorcycle and a 1986 Mustang GT. He enjoyed snowboarding and mountain biking. "He loved to go fast," she said.

Her son was "active" as a child, Cherie Clark said, which prompted her to move to Fiddletown. "I thought he'd do better in small-town schools, and he did," she said.

To honor his death, Capitol flags will be flown at half-staff.

"Sergeant Michael Clark was a courageous soldier who sacrificed his life in defense of our nation's freedom," Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said in a statement Wednesday. "His dedication and service to our country is an inspiration to us all, and he will forever be remembered."

Bradley Clark and the flight crew will be on the charter jet arriving today in Sacramento, and honor guards will accompany the casket on and off the jet, Bradley Clark said.

"I'm sad but proud and thank him for the service he's done for our country," he said.

Call The Bee's Sandy Louey, (916) 321-1088. Bee researcher Sheila Kern contributed to this story.