SALT LAKE CITY - A Utah soldier fatally shot at Fort Hood was proud to serve and felt keenly the responsibility of representing his nation and his family, his uncle said.

Michael Blades of Helena, at a news conference Saturday in Utah, said Pfc. Aaron Thomas Nemelka of the Salt Lake City suburb of West Jordan had a tremendous love for his family and a deep sense of duty.

Blades cited several of Nemelka's relatives who were in the military, including a grandfather who served in the Korean War and received a Purple Heart.

"He felt it was his duty to stand with them in defense of our country," Blades said.

Blades, himself an Army officer, said family members are struggling to make sense of the shooting rampage that killed 12 others at the Texas base.

"But you just can't, because this doesn't make sense," he said.

He said his 19-year-old nephew had a tremendous love for his family and a deep sense of duty.

"His mission is completed," Blades said. "He now serves a higher calling in heaven."

Blades said Nemelka enjoyed soccer, bowling and snowboarding, and was an avid fan of the Utah Utes.

Another uncle, Christopher Nemelka, said his nephew chose to join the Army instead of going on a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

"As a person, Aaron was as soft and kind and as gentle as they come, a sweetheart," he said. "What I loved about the kid was his independence of thought."

Aaron Nemelka, the youngest of four children, was scheduled to be deployed to Afghanistan in January, his family said in a statement. Nemelka had enlisted in the Army in October 2008, Utah National Guard Lt. Col. Lisa Olsen said.