PATTEN – Just before 2 p.m. Friday afternoon, thick, black clouds choked the skies over Patten and a light drizzle began falling.

The somber skies mirrored the emotions of the community as word spread during the afternoon that one of their own had been killed in Iraq.

Spc. Dustin James Harris, a Patten resident and a member of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, U.S. Army, died on Thursday in Bayji, Iraq.

He was 21 years old.

Harris, stationed at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, was on foot patrol Thursday with members of the 101st Airborne Division in Beiji, 150 miles north of Baghdad, when an improvised explosive device detonated nearby, the Army said.

The notification of the family was made Thursday evening.

On Friday friends remembered the 21-year-old who graduated from Katahdin High School in Stacyville in 2002 as “an outstanding young man.”

“He was proud of what he was doing and so were we,” said Terry Martin of Stacyville, whose daughter, Ashlee, graduated with Harris. Ashlee Martin and Harris attended Eastern Maine Community College together and shared an off-campus apartment.

Both Terry Martin and Harris’ friend and classmate Megan Anderson, 22, said that Harris aspired to be a diesel mechanic and loved to twist wrenches and get his hands greasy.

“He was so energetic. He played sports in high school, and he loved being in the Army,” Anderson said Friday. “My twin sister and I attended school with him ever since kindergarten. We grew up with him. Everyone liked him and he was very close to his family.”

Harris’ parents, Scott and Lorna Harris, reside in Patten. His brother, Dylan, is a senior at Katahdin High School.

Terry Martin had a chance to live with Harris for a time, staying with his daughter and her friend while working in Ellsworth. His daughter was very close to Harris, and the two had just talked on the telephone last Sunday.

“He was proud of what he did, and he wanted everyone’s respect,” he said Friday. “He got it.”

Katahdin High School Principal Rae Bates described Harris as a “wonderful young man,” a good student and outstanding soccer player who was active in his church. Bates said she had encouraged Harris to go on to college, but he decided to join the military instead.

“I asked, ‘Are you sure you really want to do this?’ It was so soon after 9-11,” she recalled.

“We’re going to miss him terribly,” she said.

Harris’ grieving family said they were not prepared to talk about their son’s death at this time.

Gov. John Baldacci and Maine’s congressional delegation offered condolences Friday afternoon.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Specialist Harris’ family during this difficult time,” Gov. Baldacci said Friday. “Dustin served his state and his nation honorably, and all of Maine mourns his loss.”

Flags will be flown at half-staff on the day of Spc. Harris’ funeral.

On hearing of the death, Sen. Olympia J. Snowe said, “My thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Dustin Harris, who courageously served his country in Iraq … Our state and nation owe him a debt of gratitude for his selfless sacrifice and his commitment to our nation.”

Sen. Susan Collins said she was “truly saddened to learn of the death of Spc. Dustin Harris. [He] was dutifully serving his country when he was killed and we honor his sacrifice in his dedication to serve his country and defend freedom across the world.”

Rep. Michael H. Michaud said he was “deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Dustin Harris. … These are trying times and words cannot do justice to the honor with which Dustin served his country and the sadness and loss his family now feels. I wish to express my deepest sympathies to Dustin’s family and friends; my thoughts and prayers are with them.”

Rep. Tom Allen said, “We are again confronted with the news that a brave young Mainer has fallen in the line of duty in Iraq. I know that I speak for all Mainers when I extend my deepest condolences to his family and friends … I wish them my best as they struggle through this painful transition. Spc. Harris’ death reminds us of the deadly peril that our men and women in uniform face every day in Iraq. They are in our thoughts and in our prayers.”

There were no more details available from the military. Maine National Guard’s public affairs department said more information would likely come Monday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.