Twenty-two-year-old Marine Corporal Roberto Abad was one month shy of completing his second tour of duty in Iraq and returning to his Bell Gardens home --- and the arrival of his first child --- when he was killed in combat in Najaf province on Aug. 6.

Buried with full military honors on Aug. 14 at Calvary Cemetery in Whittier, the young Marine was recalled this week by family members as a loving and dedicated family man, determined "to do something with his life."

Recalling a conversation with Roberto this spring, his brother Diego remembered Roberto as being proud of his service in Iraq --- but wishing he didn't have to return.

"When he came back from his first tour [during the invasion of Iraq], he had changed. He was more serious," said Diego. "Before he left in May he sat me down and told me it was horrible over there. He had seen so many other Marines die right in front of him and he didn't want to experience that anymore."

This time he may have known he would not be coming back.

In his last call to his girlfriend Tania Valazquez, who is expecting their first child, a week before his death, he "felt as if something was going to happen to him," she said. "He told me to just take care of myself and the baby. He said, 'If anything happens, my family will be there for you and the baby, so just continue waiting for me and don't worry.'"

The oldest brother among seven siblings, Abad joined the Marines at 18 after graduating from high school. Like many young people he saw the military as a way to see the world and get a college education while doing something for his country. He was looking forward to starting life with his new family and a career as a law enforcement officer or firefighter when he returned.

"He joined because he wanted to do something with his life," said Diego who found our about his brother's death while in Marine boot camp at Camp Pendleton. Roberto was assigned to Battalion Landing Team ¼, 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force.

"My brother's death is hard on us because he was the oldest and we looked up to him," said Diego. "In a way his death has made me stronger. Now I have to make my own decisions because my older brother isn't here to help me anymore. I have to make smart decisions because my little brothers are looking up to me now."

For his parents Roberto and Maria Elena Abad, the loss of their firstborn son has been difficult. Active members of St. Gertrude Church in Bell Gardens, Maria Elena said she is trying to accept her son's death as God's will.

"At first I asked God, 'Why did you take him from me'? You are never prepared for these moments of death," she said in Spanish.

She says expecting her first grandchild has given her some peace because, "God has taken away the life of my son but has given us a new life. That is a big relief. We will see him in this baby."

However, with a second son about to graduate from Marine boot camp she is not completely at peace.

"I hope I don't lose another son. That would be martyrdom," she said. "Once they sign the papers they don't belong to me anymore, they belong to the government."

She would like to send a message to mothers to find out "the full truth" before letting their children join the military. It's not something anyone should take lightly, she noted.

"I think mothers should have their children think very hard before they enlist and give their lives to the government," she explained. "The recruiters talk so pretty and then, once the soldiers get to Iraq, hell begins. These young people don't really know what they are getting into when they sign those papers."