A Fort Wainwright soldier accepted a plea agreement in which he will serve three years and nine months in prison for having child pornography on his computer.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports 23-year-old Eric Smith pleaded guilty to a dozen counts of possessing child porn.

According to court files, Smith said he started looking at child pornography when he was an elementary school student and began downloading it again after seeing a young boy raped while stationed in Iraq.

Smith's commanding officer and several friends wrote letters to the court describing Smith as an otherwise good soldier and citizen who made a mistake.

Smith's attorney contends his client was unlikely to victimize young people because he identifies with the abused more than the abusers.