In Memoriam

(CBS) CHICAGO Friends and relatives of a local Marine are struggling with the news that the northwest suburban man was killed in battle in Iraq.

Cpl. Ryan J. Cummings was a member of the 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, Marine Expeditionary Force out of Camp Pendleton, Calif., according to a DOD statement.

CBS 2's Holly Gregory reports loved ones in Streamwood are remembering Cummings as a hero.

Cummings, 22, signed up to join the Marines the day before the attacks on Sept. 11. He was killed over the weekend when a roadside bomb struck his vehicle.

Cummings was also a straight-A student at Hoffman Estates High School, where he graduated in 2002. He joined the Marines right out of high school.

Cummings' father, John Cummings, said his son signed the papers to enlist in the Marines on Sept. 10, 2001, and the terrorist attacks the next day only strengthened his resolve to join the military.

"He is just the most wonderful person I've ever known. He was a wonderful man and a very good friend. Very caring. Just an absolute joy to have in my life," said friend Emily Robins.

Friends and family gathered to console each other outside the Streamwood home where he grew up.

His mother, Jan, was too distraught to talk on camera, but tells CBS 2 her son was a dedicated Marine.

Cummings was killed Saturday in the Al Anbar province when his armored vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb.

"He was caring, loving, he did anything for anybody," said friend Nichole Cartee.

This was the third tour in Iraq for Cummings. He didn't have to go back, but he chose to return.

"I begged him not to go, I absolutely begged him," Robins said.

Cummings' mother last spoke to her son from Iraq on Mother's Day. He promised her he was being careful.

"As upset as I am that he's dead, I at least know he died doing what he believed in," said friend Michael Donovan.

Along with serving in Iraq, Cummings also helped build a medical facility in Africa and was involved in relief efforts after the tsunami in 2004.

He had returned to Iraq for his third tour of duty in February and was scheduled to leave the Marines in November. Cummings had plans to study engineering at the University of Illinois at Chicago, family members said.

Along with his father, Cummings is survived by his mother, two younger brothers, a younger sister and his stepmother.

Cummings' visitation is scheduled for Monday and funeral services are set for June 13 at a Schaumburg funeral home.