Washington Post -- Lance Cpl. Jourdan Grez was the kind of young man who always made the best of whatever life threw at him.

At 15, he was injured in a car accident that killed his best friend. So he became a licensed emergency medical technician and spent the rest of his high school years working weekends as an EMT in Richmond, hoping to help others in trouble.

Six years later, while he was a student at James Madison University, his girlfriend became pregnant, so Grez joined the Marine Reserve to give the baby financial stability.

On May 11, Grez, 24, of Harrisonburg was one of four Marines killed when their amphibious assault vehicle struck an explosive device in Karabilah, Iraq, near the Syrian border, the Marines said yesterday.

His family shared memories yesterday of an outgoing, creative young man who had always tried to do the right thing.

"He was a very caring guy," recalled his father, Armand Grez II, who manages a restaurant in New Jersey.

Jourdan Grez spent most of his childhood in Richmond, where, family members said, he formed a tight bond with his brothers, Armand, 29, and Aric, 26.

Grez was an accomplished amateur artist -- painting bold, colorful abstracts that attracted attention and admiration. He also dreamed of making it big in business: One of his childhood heroes, Aric recalled, was an uncle who ran a successful company making award ribbons.

After graduating from high school in 1999, Grez followed Aric to James Madison University, where he took pre-med, international business and finance classes. But in 2001, unable to decide on a major, he dropped out.

"Until he figured out what he wanted to do, he didn't want to go back [to school] and waste time," said brother Armand Grez III, an Energy Department consultant who lives in Arlington.

While working in a restaurant, Jourdan Grez fell in love with a co-worker, Lael Lovell, with whom he had a son, Colin, in June 2003. Shortly before Colin's birth, Grez joined the Marine Reserve.

He knew he might be sent to Iraq, but family members said providing for his son was more important than his safety.

"He knew that in the armed forces, there was a great opportunity to take care of your family," said Aric Grez, a waiter who lives in the District. "I'd say . . . one of his biggest reasons he joined the Marines was just to know that he would be able to take care of Colin."

Jourdan Grez served with enthusiasm and distinction, recalled his commanding officers in Roanoke, where he served in the Marine Forces Reserve 4th Combat Engineer Battalion.

"I don't have to tell him exactly what to do," Capt. Soulynamma Pharathikone said. "I just tell him the intent, and he understands it and executes it."

Grez rarely complained to family members about his duties in Iraq. The hardest part of his service, his family said, was not seeing Colin. "He really missed his son," said Armand Grez III. "He lived for that kid."

He was to come home in September and planned to move to Texas with Lovell and Colin.