BOSTON -- A Dracut family said that they are stunned by the death of a young soldier.

NewsCenter 5's Jack Harper reported that Army Spc. Christine Ndururi, 21, died on the first day of her first overseas mission from what the military called a "non-combat related illness."

"She told me, 'I love you Dad.' I told her, 'I love you, too,'" said Wilson Wachira, Ndururi's father.

"She was healthy. She called me at 9:30 a.m. She was fine that morning," said Mary Mwaniki, Ndururi's mother.

Ndururi's original orders had her going to Korea. On Monday, she called to say she would be going to Iraq. She died in Kuwait on Tuesday.

The Army said she died due to a non-combat medical illness.

"It is very hard to accept a death. We need to know one thing now. What happened? And how did it happen?" Mwaniki said.

A military representative visited the family Thursday afternoon but still provided no definitive answers on her death.

Ndururi came to Dracut with her family in 2002. While at Dracut High School, she decided to join the Army after her graduation in 2005.

Her family visited with her in Texas a few days ago

"On vacation last week, we saw her. She was OK," Wachira said.

But Wachira said Ndururi cried when she called Monday to discuss shipping out for Iraq.

Her family is very religious. They were surrounded by friends and loved ones Thursday afternoon. The support is helping, but they said not knowing the full story hurts, and losing a child is overwhelming.

"We are happy to have the time we had with her in Kenya and the time here," Wachira said.