The soldier killed during a foot patrol in southern Afghanistan on Monday has been named as Lance Corporal Stephen Kingscott.
L/Cpl Kingscott, of the 1st Battalion The Rifles, died after coming under fire near Lashkar Gah in Helmand Province.
The 22-year-old - known as Schnoz - was the eighth serviceman to be killed in the country this year.
His parents, Wendy and Michael, sister Laura and fiancée Gemma said: "He will always be our hero and always in our thoughts.
"Stephen is our loving son, brother, grandson and fiancée, who died for his country."
Lieutenant Colonel Joe Cavanagh, Commanding Officer of 1 Rifles, said L/Cpl Kingscott was a "model rifleman" who died despite "the very best efforts" of his colleagues.
They included members of the Afghan National Army, with whom the soldiers were carrying out a joint-operation.
Col Cavanagh said: "The depth of Steve's previous experience and the speed with which he picked up new skills made him a model rifleman, no more so than on operations.
"That he was also a battalion first 11 footballer and cricketer gives some idea of the breadth of his talent.
"We are so sorry for Steve's parents and family, his beloved girlfriend, and his friends; they will miss him terribly, as we will.
"He was a splendid representative of the Battalion and The Rifles. We are all very proud to have served alongside him."
Defence Secretary John Hutton added: "Lance Corporal Stephen Kingscott was by all accounts a man of great character and ability, fearless in battle and a model Riflemen.
"His last action was typical, in the thick of the fight and beside his comrades and the Afghan soldiers whose country he was helping to rebuild.
"I can add nothing to the tribute from his parents, for whom he was a hero who died for his country, and they have my deepest respect and sympathy."
After enlisting from school, L/Cpl Kingscott, who was from Plymouth, trained at Harrogate and Catterick in North Yorkshire and joined 1st Battalion, The Devonshire and Dorset Regiment. He served in Iraq, Belize, the Falkland Islands as well as Afghanistan.
Colleagues paid tribute to his "irrepressible" sense of humour, cheerfulness in adversity and physical fitness. They added that they "always found themselves behind Lance Corporal Kingscott when advancing on the enemy".
His death took the total number of British servicemen and women killed in Afghanistan since the start of operations in 2001 to 145.
Our condolences to L/Cpls Kingscotts Family and Friends.
DWM
