Mourners gathered at a ceremony in Temecula to remember Staff Sgt. Louis F. Cardin who was killed by enemy fire in Iraq. Tony shin reports for the NBC4 News at Noon on Friday, April 1, 2016.
Family, friends and community members gathered in Temecula Friday to pay their respects to a U.S. Marine killed in a rocket attack in Iraq last month.
Staff Sgt. Louis F. Cardin died in Iraq on March 19 from wounds suffered when his unit was attacked with rocket fire at a base in northern Iraq. He was serving in Operation Inherent Resolve, which is the military's campaign against the Islamic State.
A closed-casket ceremony for the 27-year-old was held on the steps of the Civic Center. The ceremony included speeches from the mayor, members of congress, and a family representative who described the Marine as a genuine and reliable man.
"I would hear from marines, how they would call up Cardin at 3 in the morning for a ride back to base because somehow they were stranded and needed a safe ride home," said Manny Toldeo. "Without any delay, there he was, at the crack of dawn picking up a bunch of marines."
Cardin was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. He was a native of Riverside who moved to Temecula with his family, and graduated from Chaparral High School.
A private funeral will be held at Riverside National Cemetery on Saturday.
The last U.S. service member killed in Iraq was in October 2015.
