A 25-year-old nurse from the Madigan Army Medical Center was killed Sunday along with  three other soldiers by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan.

Lt. Jennifer Moreno, who was on her first assignment to Afghanistan, was killed during an attack in the Zhari District of Kandahar.

After graduating from San Diego High School in 2006, Moreno got her nursing degree from the University of San Francisco and completed the Army airborne course in 2009 at Fort Benning. At the Madigan Medical Center, she was a clinical nurse on the surgical unit.

"As our medical family mourns the death of 1st Lt. Jennifer Moreno, our thoughts and prayers are with her family," said Col. Ramona Fiorey, Madigan Army Medical Center commander. "We are all deeply saddened by the tragic loss of this great American soldier."     

Also killed in the explosion were sergeant Patrick Hawkins, 25, of Carlisle, Pa., sergeant Joseph Peters, 24, of Springfield, Mo., and private Cody Patterson, 24, of Philomath, Ore. Hawkins and Patterson were both assigned to the Ranger Regiment at Fort Benning, Ga.

In addition to being a nurse, Moreno also volunteered for the Army's Special Operations Command cultural support team and was deployed to Afghanistan in June. That assignment is one of the few ways for female soldiers to go off protected military zones with Army Rangers and Green Berets. It's a risky assignment that involves interaction with Afghanistan women that could provide information male soldiers might not be able to obtain because of cultural differences in Muslim countries.

"She was a talented member of our team who lost her life while serving her country in one of the most dangerous environments in the world," said Lt. Col. Patrick J. Ellis, commander of 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. "Her bravery and self-sacrifice were in keeping with the highest traditions of the 75th Ranger Regiment. She was making a difference in Afghanistan and that legacy will live on."

Moreno's brother, Ivan Moreno, is in the Army. Her mother, Maric Cordero, and two sisters, Jearaldy Moreno and Yaritza Cordova, live in San Diego.

"The Moreno family is in our thoughts and prayers," Ellis said. "Our unit mourns the loss of 1st Lt. Jennifer Moreno."

Moreno, who was born June 25, 1988, was posthumously awarded the Combat Action Badge, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Purple Heart, Afghanistan Campaign medal and NATO Medal.

"We've lost a superb officer and a caring nurse who served with marked distinction and honor throughout her career," Fiorey said.

The four soldiers were killed when enemy forces attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device. Further details about the attack were not yet released.

Her awards and decorations include the Parachutist Badge, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terror Service Medal and Army Service Ribbon.

For Peters, this was his third deployment in the War on Terror with two previous assignments to Iraq. He is survived by his wife and 20-month old son. Hawkins was on his fourth deployment to Afghanistan and Patterson was on his second deployment to Afghanistan in Operation Enduring Freedom.