1st Lt. Shaun Blue could have achieved anything, said Munster High School Principal Steven Tripenfeldas, but Blue chose to join the Marine Corps in 2004. Blue was deployed to Iraq in January and was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, where he won numerous awards, including the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Combat Action Ribbon and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.

Before he joined the Marines, Blue was winning awards at Munster High, where he was ranked in the top 10 of his senior class of 2000, was in the highest honors group for his year and was a National Merit Commended Student.

"Talk about a kid that was mentally tough," Tripenfeldas said. "He was one of those kids who did things everyone else was afraid to do."

Tripenfeldas said he felt sick to his stomach when he found out Tuesday afternoon that one of his star students had been killed. Blue lived within walking distance of the high school, and his family has been a major influence in the Munster community.

"When you have a loss like that, the community feels the loss," Tripenfeldas said. "It's one of those things you never want to hear."

The Munster principal said Blue stood out in high school for his brilliant mind and his athletic ability.

Aaron Brown, Munster High School's track and cross country coach, said in his 16 years as a coach at the school, he's never seen a student who was so hard working and determined.

"He was the toughest kid I ever had," Brown said. "The fact that he chose the career path that he did didn't surprise me. It was perfectly suited for him."

Brown recalled a track meet during Blue's senior year, where Blue was assigned to run the 800-meter race. Blue knew he wouldn't qualify to compete on a state level, and it was his final race in high school. He could have simply trotted and completed the run comfortably, but Blue never did anything just because

it was comfortable.

"He put it all out there," Brown said.

Steve Lopez, who also was Blue's track coach, remembered the race clearly.

"It was one of those races where we wanted to come and pick them up off the track because they were so exhausted," Lopez said. "He did it. He was always a person of conviction."

Lopez said Blue was one of the rare students who never fooled around during practice, never swerved from his work ethic.

But while he was very determined in his academic career, Blue also was a kind man.

Lisa Newton, a neighbor of Blue's grandfather, said he often saw Blue at his grandfather's house, helping with yard work. She said his grandfather would always brag to everyone that Blue's picture was on the honor board at the high school.

"He was a great kid," Newton said. "It's absolutely horrible."

Lance Cpl. Jesse D. Delatorre, 29, of Aurora, Ill., was in Blue's unit, and he was also killed Monday in the same area, the Department of Defense announced Tuesday.

This was the second Northwest Indiana man killed in Iraq in less than a week.

Spc. Jason Beadles, 22, of LaPorte, was killed in Baghdad Thursday.

Funeral arrangements for Blue are pending.