The Marine son of a former Utah woman, who was part of the first wave of Tibetans to move to Salt Lake City more than a decade ago, has been killed by a bomb blast in Iraq.

Lance Cpl. Tenzin Chuku Dengkhim, 19, of Falls Church, Va., died "as a result of hostile action" Saturday in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, according to information from the U.S. Department of Defense.

Dengkhim lived in Salt Lake City's Avenues with his mother, Rinzin Chodon, until they moved to the Washington, D.C., area so she could take a job at Radio Free Asia. That move occurred while Dengkhim was a student at Bryant Intermediate School, 40 S. 800 East.

Chodon is a cousin of Pema Chagzoetsang, a Utah woman long known as a passionate advocate for her native Tibet.

Chagzoetsang said Dengkhim wanted to fight in Iraq to help bring freedom to another country — a cause dear to his heart because of Tibet's struggles against China.

"It was his wish to go to Iraq, to give someone else an opportunity to have freedom, which we Tibetans couldn't have," she said. "By being there, he would be helping Iraqis to gain freedom."

She said he joined the military in order to receive an education and to receive the high-quality training offered by the American military — training he hoped could be used to help Tibet gain its independence one day.

Dengkhim is believed to be the first Tibetan-American killed in Iraq.

"My memory of this young boy, when he was here in Utah, I observed him to be a very sensible, thoughtful, down-to-earth, very focused young man. He loved being home and caring for his mother," Chagzoetsang said. "This boy was her soul, her life."

Chagzoetsang plans to go to Washington for Dengkhim's funeral, though she said military officials have yet to determine when Dengkhim's body will be returned to the United States. She said the State Department plans to respect Tibetan traditions in its plans for Dengkhim's funeral.

She said the family will pray for Dengkhim's soul every Friday for the next seven weeks, according to Tibetan tradition, which says the souls of the dead remain on Earth for 49 days, seeking help to find the afterlife.

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E-mail: dsmeath@desnews.com