The question was not if Kevin Graham was going to enter the military, it was when.

“He always had a soft spot for the military,” Sean Graham, Kevin’s brother, said.

The former Salem resident spent his youth reading about military conflicts and absorbing war-time stories before he joined the Army two years ago.

Kevin Graham, a 27-year-old Army Specialist, was killed Saturday in Kandahar, Afghanistan, when the Stryker Brigade vehicle he was driving was struck by an improvised explosive device.

Kevin’s brother Sean said he will not forget the memory of his late brother, whom Sean remembers as a gentleman with a clear sense of duty and service.

The Graham family moved to Salem in 1991. Kevin and his parents moved to Kentucky in 2005.

Sean Graham said Kevin’s passions at a young age included reading about World War II and talking with relatives, including his Vietnam War veteran father, and acquaintances about their military experiences.

“He was a military kind of guy,” Sean Graham, who currently resides in Kansasville, said. “He loved to sit and listen to those stories. And he would read the accounts and cross check that with the people who were there.”

One of Kevin’s traditions as a youth was to see the warbird military planes that would land at the Kenosha Regional Airport on their way to Experimental Aircraft Association fly-ins in Oshkosh. Sean Graham said his brother would run errands for the flight crews, which led to Kevin getting to take a flight on one of the planes.

“They don’t give those away to anyone,” Sean Graham said. “It spoke to the kind of person he is.”

Kevin Graham also was passionate about cars, spending hours fixing up a 1965 Pontiac LeMans that he had bought.

“He went to all of the car shows and cruise-in nights,” Sean Graham said.

Sean Graham said Kevin was greatly affected by the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 and was motivated to respond.

“He was very proud of his country and Sept. 11 ate at him,” Sean Graham said. “Over time, he felt like he needed to do something to serve his country. He was quiet, but he definitely knew what right and wrong was. And he would always stand up for what was right.”

Kevin enlisted with the Army in September of 2007 and was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, based in Fort Lewis, Wash.

“I thought he had given that dream up, so I was a little shocked at first,” Sean Graham said. “But he was just so proud to be in the military and I was so proud of him. We all were.”

Kevin Graham’s f deployment to Afghanistan began in July of this year. Sean Graham said nine soldiers from that unit had been killed before Kevin’s death and the family knew his deployment was dangerous.

“Kevin did it for the love of his country,” Sean Graham said.

Sean Graham said he just wants all people to respect and honor the veterans they know and see.

“If you run across a vet, just say thank you,” Sean Graham said. “Shake their hand. You would not believe what it means when you walk up to them and say thank you.”

Sean Graham said he was proud of the service his brother gave and the life he lived.

“He really did live life to the fullest,” Sean Graham said. “He did so much in a short amount of time.”

Sean Graham said he will remember his brother’s quiet nature and sense of humor, his love of old cars and ability at trap shooting and the time the brothers were able to spend working out with each other over the last year. And Sean Graham said he will most of all remember the person that Kevin always was.

“I think about his pride and his stability,” Sean Graham said. “He was a solid citizen and a solid gentleman. That’s really what I think of him as. He was just so proud to wear the uniform and he was so proud of what we had done.”

A memorial service for Kevin Graham is scheduled on Oct. 8 in Fort Lewis, Wash. and Sean Graham said the family will likely also hold a memorial service in this area as well.

Kevin Graham is survived by his parents — Dan and Sandy Graham — who reside in Fairdealing, Ky., and three older brothers — Scott, Sean and Daniel — who live in Wisconsin and Illinois. Kevin Graham was married in March and his wife and 6-year-old stepson reside in the state of Washington.