LCpl. Phillip E. Frank, U.S.M.C (KIA)

A New Jersey native, who moved to Illinois two years ago, was killed in combat in Iraq last week.

Lance Cpl. Phillip E. Frank, 20, of Elk Grove Village, Ill., died April 8 when he was hit by hostile fire near Fallujah and Ramadi in Al Anbar province, the Defense Department has announced.

Frank is a native of Cliffwood Beach who moved to Illinois after graduating from Matawan Regional High School in June 2002.

He lived with his cousins, Gary and Robin Van Cleave, and found work with a friend of Van Cleave's who owned a heating and air conditioning business.

Van Cleave said Frank, who had studied the trade in high school, came out one weekend before graduation and was introduced to the friend.

"My friend, John, said, 'Yeah, when you're ready to come out, c'mon out. I'll give you a job,'" said Van Cleave, who has his own remodeling business.

He said Frank worked for his friend for several months before deciding he wanted to meet with recruiters from all four branches of the service.

"He came home and said, 'I want to be a Marine. That's what I want to do,'" Van Cleave said yesterday. "He kind of felt that was his duty after 9/11. He said he wanted to serve his country and defend his country. That's all he kept saying."

Van Cleave said his cousin told him he would like to make the Marines a career and train other Marines.

"He said he would train the best batch of Marines anyone ever saw. That's how gung-ho he was," Van Cleave said.

He said Frank was very unselfish and giving and always had time to help others.

"There aren't too many people who are always willing to do something for someone else," Van Cleave said. "Whatever you asked him, he always had the time to help you. He was a very good kid, I'll tell you. It's really hard to even describe the kind of person he was."

Funeral services for Frank will be at 11 a.m. today in Arlington Heights, Ill.

Frank was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force in Camp Pendleton, Calif.

He is survived by his wife, Keri; his parents, Roy and Georgette Frank, and a sister, Cyndi Frank, all of Elk Grove Village.

Frank's aunt and uncle, Lewis and Joyce Fishberg, live in Highland Park.