TULSA, Okla. — A Tulsa man who enjoyed playing the saxophone and taking karate lessons was one of two soldiers killed this week in Iraq.

Spc. James E. Marshall of Tulsa was killed May 5 when his vehicle hit an improvised explosive, the Defense Department said in a statement.

Marshall was assigned to the First Batallion, 21st Field Artillery Regiment, of the 1st Cavalry Division based at Fort Hood, Texas.

Marshall, 19, joined the Army July 25, 2002, simply because “it was something that he wanted to do,” said his mother, Pamela Marshall.

Marshall, who was in Alpha Battery, went to Iraq on March 15, and Pamela Marshall said her son was not worried because he felt like he had a job to do.

She said they talked at least twice a week while he was in Iraq.

“The last time I talked to him he was really happy about the stuff he was doing over there,” Pamela Marshall said.

Marshall, an only child, graduated in 2002 from Central High School in Tulsa, where he played alto saxophone in the school band. He also took karate lessons.

“He was a fun-loving person,” Pamela Marshall said. “He was always willing to help wherever he could.”

No services have been set.