copyright 2009, The Washington Post Pvt. Francheska Velez was due home soon from Fort Hood. Velez, stationed in Iraq, returned to Chicago to celebrate her 21st birthday in August. Back in Iraq, where she disarmed bombs, she learned that she was pregnant, her family said, and arranged for maternity leave. 'She was supposed to be coming very, very soon. Everyone's devastated, ' said Jennifer Arzuaga, a cousin. 'She was very young. She wasn't supposed to die the way she died.' Velez's father came from Colombia and her mother from Puerto Rico. After attending Kelvyn Park, Ill., High School, she joined the Army three years ago because she wanted to travel and make something of herself. 'She was the happiest person in the world,' Arzuaga said. Her pleasures tended toward the simple, and her dancing was divine -- salsa and meringue, especially. 'She always made everybody happy,'Arzuaga said. As for Iraq, 'She didn't really like it, but she was OK. She was just keeping strong. She was ready for anything.' 