MADELIA — The U.S. Department of Defense confirmed Thursday a soldier from southern Minnesota was one of five who died in a rocket attack on a base in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday. It was the largest, single-day loss of life for U.S. forces in Iraq in two years.

Military officials said 20-year-old Sgt. Emilio Campo, Jr., of Madelia, and four comrades died of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their unit with a barrage of rockets in a Shiite neighborhood.

The five were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 7th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, of Fort Riley, Kan.

Family members said Campo was a medic who joined the U.S. Army to pursue his dream of becoming a doctor.