Like his father, Gray Cockerham III joined the Marines.

But the younger Cockerham won't get to enjoy post-military life or his young marriage.

The 21-year-old Marine corporal was killed Friday by a roadside bomb near Al Amariyah, Iraq. He was a member of the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, the Department of Defense said Wednesday in officially announcing his death.

Cockerham joined the Marine Corps in May 2003 and left soon after for Iraq. He married his girlfriend, Amanda Johnson, on a trip home to Catawba County about a year ago. Both had graduated from Hickory's St. Stephen's High School in 2002, where Cockerham played on the school soccer team all four years, according to friends.

Over the summer, he was called back for a second tour of duty.

Cockerham was initially listed as missing in action, and friends and family members held out hope he would be found alive.

But they learned the bad news Monday night.

Chuck Davis, the former boys' soccer coach at St. Stephens, remembers Cockerham's hard work on the team, which he shared with younger players.

"I told them how Gray was a hard worker and how he sacrificed," he said Tuesday. "If you want to score goals bad enough, you'll be like Gray Cockerham."

Members of St. Stephen's Lutheran Church posted a message on its sign asking people to pray for the Cockerham family.

Cockerham is survived by his wife, Amanda Johnson Cockerham; his parents, Ben and Jill Cockerham; and a younger brother, Adam.

He will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

Capt. Tyler B. Swisher, 35, of Cincinnati, Ohio, also of Camp Lejeune, died in the same accident as Cockerham, the defense department said Wednesday. Their vehicle was traveling beside a canal when the explosion caused them to be thrown into the water.