ALEXANDRIA BAY, N.Y. -- A road side bomb claims the life of a 10th Mountain Division soldier from the North Country. Jack Sweet, 19, was an Alexandria Bay native.

If you ask any teacher at the Alexandria Bay Central School District they'll tell you that Jack Sweet was determined to succeed in life, a life at the time that didn't include more schooling. However Sweet and his high school English teacher, Lorrie Guler, developed a bond through the military.

"You know, you tell the stories and I remember once I sat with Jack and the counselor and I was trying to get him to do his work, and I was like, 'Jack what do you want to do with your life?' And he says I'm going into the military. So that struck home with me because of my background, and at that point trying to play that tough love game, I said to Jack, 'I've been there in the military for over 20 years, I know what it takes to be in the military, a lot of times you have to be able to do things that you don't want to do,'" said Guler.

After that Guler says Sweet went for it and turned his life around. He obtained his GED and then enlisted in the Army.

But during Sweet's first deployment to Iraq with the 10th Mountain Divisions 1st Brigade Combat Team, tragedy struck. Sweet was killed by a roadside bomb.

Kevin Durr was his high school counselor. "Jack was always smiling, yeah he was always smiling. He was always the type of person who said thank you and shook my hand after I met with him and just a nice kid," said Durr.

Those who knew Sweet say he was full of life. Many say they'll never forget that grin that he seemed to always have.

As for funeral arrangements, Sweet's family tells us they're waiting for his body to be flown home before they make any plans.