Professional Soldiers ® - Harriman, Stanley L., CW2, SF

March 5, 2002, 12:22 AM EST

The first casualty in the latest U.S. assault in Afghanistan had spent 16 years -- his entire adult life -- serving his country, his family said Monday.

Army Chief Warrant Officer Stanley L. Harriman, 34, was killed as a result gunfire from an Air Force AC-130 gunship that mistook his convoy for enemy forces. Saturday in a ground attack. On Monday, the Pentagon said seven more American soldiers were killed and 11 were wounded in the assault.

"He was so excited about being a part of it," said Harriman's wife, Sheila. "He loved not just being a soldier, but his country."

Harriman, a native of Nixa, Mo., enlisted at the age of 18 and was stationed for 13 years at Fort Bragg, N.C., his wife said. The couple had two children.

"He died doing what he loved," said Traci Lore, Harriman's sister-in-law.

Harriman rarely talked about his career, said his cousin, Jeff Floyd.

"When he did speak about what he was doing, it was just about how he loved his job. Nothing about his details," Floyd said. "That wasn't him."

Harriman's twin brother was in the military, and they followed their father -- who served in the Army -- in military service.

Maj. Robert Gowan, a spokesman for the Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, said little information could be released about Harriman and the circumstances of his death "because of ongoing operations" in Afghanistan.

The Pentagon said the seven soldiers who died Monday were killed when two U.S. helicopters took enemy fire during the most deadly allied air and ground offensive of the war in Afghanistan.

In the U.S. assault, code-named Operation Anaconda, Americans took the lead instead of relying on Afghan forces to take the fight to the al-Qaida.

In all, 40 U.S. soldiers have been wounded since the operation began Friday.

**Information from SFAHQ.com, The Department of Defense and The Associated Press used in this Article.