Bloomington Pantagraph -- DWIGHT A Dwight man died in Iraq on Thursday from a "non-hostile incident" in Al Anbar province, the U.S. military announced.
Lance Cpl. Raymond J. Holzhauer, 19, was most recently deployed to Iraq in mid-January, said Shirley Holzhauer, Raymond's grandmother, also of Dwight.
"He was home right after Christmas and then went right back in January," she said.
Shirley Holzhauer said news of Raymond Holzhauer's death came on Thursday, and that the incident is still under investigation.
Those who knew Holzhauer remembered a quiet kid who was proud of his service to his country.
"He was just a great kid," said Jim Fraher, Raymond Holzhauer's grandfather and Dwight resident. "He loved hunting and fishing."
"He had the prettiest blue eyes ever," Shirley Holzhauer said. "He was a quiet, respectful, very well-liked and he loved being a Marine and was proud of it."
Raymond was a 2005 graduate of Dwight High School. School Superintendent Dale Adams said current students have been notified.
"We did make an official announcement and we had a crisis team ready for kids to talk to," Adams said.
Adams also said Holzhauer was quiet and played football at the school for two years.
"This certainly puts a real picture of the war in Iraq," he said of the impact of Holzhauer's death on the community.
"We have had a number of kids over the last four or five years that have gone into the Marines. He came back after completing boot camp and was especially proud of what he was doing. He grew up a lot.
"One of the things about small towns is that we rally around each other, so I'm sure there's a lot of support for Ray's family."
Holzhauer was assigned to the 2nd Maintenance Battalion, 2nd Marines Logistics Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C.