A 28-year-old MSU alumnus died while serving in Iraq on Wednesday.

Spc. Adrian J. Butler was killed while riding in a vehicle after a bomb exploded near it, his mother said.

The 2000 graduate entered the Army with the intent of joining the FBI, his mother Peggy Donaldson said.

"He needed some police background or military service (for the FBI)," Donaldson said.

Butler served as a member of the military police and specialized in shooting long distances.

Officials from the Department of Defense declined to comment on Butler's death Friday because he hadn't been added to the list of casualties.

The explosion also killed another soldier and put one man in the hospital, Donaldson said.

Butler called home about two to three times a week, Donaldson said, adding that the conversations usually lasted about 10 to 15 minutes.

"He asked about how the family was doing and said that he loved everybody," she said, adding that he also inquired how life was in Detroit.

While attending MSU, Butler was active on campus, Donaldson said. He enjoyed playing basketball, football and watching sports, she said.

"He and his friends did a lot of stuff on campus," she said. "He lived right there on campus."

Butler isn't the first alumni to die while serving in Iraq. First Lt. Adam Malson, a 2003 MSU graduate and Rochester Hills native, was killed Feb. 19 by a suicide bomber while serving in Baghdad. He was assisting a wounded Iraqi woman on her way to a mosque when a blast came from behind him, the military officials said.

Since the War in Iraq began, 1,787 members of the U.S. Military have died, a report from the Department of Defense stated.

Donaldson said she and her son had discussed the possibility of his death - he had requested to have a military funeral. Plans for Butler's funeral are still being worked out and should be settled at the end of the week. Butler is survived by his brother and mother.

Although he lived in a war zone, Butler didn't discuss the details of his service, Donaldson said.

"He kept everything kind of quiet," she said. "He was a loving and kind person with a good heart and spirit."

Kris Turner can be reached at turne112@msu.edu.