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Pruitt Rainey had just 14 days left in Afghanistan.

But he will be going home early.

The 22-year-old from Alamance County was among nine U.S. soldiers killed Sunday during one of the most ferocious battles in Afghanistan since the Taliban fell in 2001.

Rainey, described by friends as a gentle giant who excelled as a wrestler at Graham High School, had planned to go back to school to become a teacher after completing his service.

“He had a lot of strength but was a great guy,” said Jeff Terrell of Burlington. “Big, but gentle.”

Terrell, who met Rainey while serving as a youth leader at Glen Hope Baptist Church in Burlington, said his friend had a magnetic quality.

“He was a very dynamic person,” Terrell said. “Everybody loved him. Young kids were just drawn to him. All of his friends were just drawn to him. He had a great personality.”

Terrell said he always felt that Rainey would come home safely.

But he got a bad feeling when he saw the news about the fighting on Sunday. The conflict was exactly where he knew his friend to be stationed.

“I told my wife that we needed to pray,” Terrell said. “Then I got a call that night.”

He said Rainey’s tour in Afghanistan was nearly done, although he might have been stationed in Europe before coming home for good.

Family members declined to comment Tuesday.

Sunday’s battle began before dawn, when Taliban insurgents attacked a U.S.-led outpost near the border with Pakistan, officials said.

Nearly 200 insurgents assaulted the base from two directions, while 45 American and 25 Afghan troops fought to hold them off. In the end, the insurgents breached the compound before being driven back during fighting that lasted hours.

More than half of the American troops were killed or injured during the attack, while four of their fellow Afghan troops were wounded. The attackers also sustained heavy losses.

The Rev. Larry Redding, the senior pastor at Glen Hope, said the news of Rainey’s death came as a grim reminder of what soldiers face in war.

“You just keep praying for them and pray they’re not injured. It’s kind of hard to believe, but it’s the reality of war,” he said. “I just feel so moved that these young people are laying down their lives for us. It really hits home.”

Terrell said Rainey was a good soldier who knew the troops were in Afghanistan for a purpose, but at the same time was looking forward to coming home.

“It’s hard to understand why someone so vibrant and energetic would be taken,” he said. “God has a purpose for everyone, and I just trust him.”

Still, the loss hurts. Badly.

“He was like a son to me,” Terrell said.

The New York Times News Service contributed to this report.

Contact Jason Hardin at 373-7021 or at jason.hardin@news-record.com