Nick had five days off. The couple drove from the base and visited Seaworld and the San Diego Zoo.
No one knew it would be the last time Becky would see her high-school sweetheart alive.
Paul Nicholas King, who went by "Nick" since his father is also Paul King, was a mortarman with the 1st Battalion, 25th Marine Weapons Company, Regimental Combat Team 5. He was killed Sunday while serving with a mobile assault platoon, a group patrolling the notorious city of Fallujah to weed out insurgents, according to a biography released by the Marine Corps.
King had gotten out of his Humvee and was maintaining a security perimeter when he was killed. No other Marines were hurt in the incident, according to the Marine Corps.
King is the first Tyngsboro resident killed in action since Vietnam, when two men were killed, according to Veterans' Agent and Selectman Kevin O'Connor.
"He was the boy next door," Becky said last night, recounting how her family moved next door to King on Cannongate Road in August of 1998. King helped her mother move in.
By November of that year, the two were a couple. They married on May 20, 2003.
King graduated from studying electronics at Greater Lowell Vocational High School in 2001. Becky attended Dracut High through the school-choice program, and before she graduated in 2002 King wore his uniform to her prom.
He had enlisted in the Marine Reserves while still in school and went to boot camp after graduation.
"He wanted to do something he could be proud of," a tearful Becky King said last night. "My mother's father is a Marine and (King) started listening to him about the respect and whatnot, so he wanted to be a part of it."
"He loved being a Marine."
Nick King certainly earned the respect he sought when he joined the Corps.
His father said last night that it was not just the service to country that made him proud of his son, though.
"I'm proud of everything he did," Paul C. King said. "There is no prouder person in this world than me right now."
His younger sister, Dianna King, felt the same, and pointed out that her brother volunteered for his dangerous duty.
"I couldn't be any more proud of my brother, and even if he never went to Iraq I'd be just as proud," Dianna King said. "Nick volunteered because not everyone had a choice. He feared something would happen that he could have prevented."
King had volunteered for deployment. His unit had been deployed to Korea, Japan and Thailand in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2003, so unit members had an option to stay home from Iraq.
"It was not for political purposes, he just didn't want to make his comrades feel abandoned or lost," Becky King said. "It made me proud to know that's what kind of person he was."
He rarely spoke of his experiences when he called from Iraq.
"Whenever we'd talk, he'd assure me he loved me and couldn't wait to be home," Becky King said.
His mother also said Nick King was homesick.
Becky King last talked to her husband Thursday night.
He mentioned that he couldn't wait to get home and get a Playstation 3.
He was also looking forward to fixing up a motorcycle the couple had bought. They have several bikes and loved to go riding together.
Nick was outgoing, happy, and quick with a joke, Becky said. He would rarely judge others.
A good cook, his pizza and ribs were "the best."
Becky said she fell in love with the man that her husband was.
"He had a really great take on life," she said. "He would try anything, and he always encouraged people to try anything."
King stayed out of trouble growing up, although his energy was never spent.
His sister, Julie King, said her brother, a delivery boy for The Sun, would Rollerblade from the family's condominium off Dunstable Road in Tyngsboro deep into Westford.
He would watch out for Julie in those years.
"Half the knowledge I have I learned from him," Julie said, clutching her baby, Anna, in her arms.
It was Paul and Becky's love for Anna that made them want to have kids as soon as he got back.
The couple also planned to start looking for a home, Becky said.
Dianna King said her brother was always faithful to his friends. Once he made a friend he kept a friend.
King's brother, Daniel King, 19, just graduated and was also enlisted to enter the Marines on July 10.
Those plans are on hold.
Julie and Paul C. King told him they could not let him go in light of what has happened. The Marine Corps agreed to give him the option since he is the only surviving male child in the family.
Nick King was last in Tyngsboro in February. He had a long weekend off and flew home to see his family.
O'Connor, the town's veterans agent, said Nick King was his paperboy while growing up.
"He was a quiet, unassuming kid," O'Connor said. "Nick was a great kid."
O'Connor described the loss as tragic and emotional, and said the town is deeply sorry for the family.
Becky King's father, G. J. Brown, owns the Century 21 in Tyngsboro, O'Connor said.
U.S. Rep. Marty Meehan called the family last night to let them know the entire community would be behind them as they grieve.
"He was a brave young man, having served valiantly in one of the most volatile regions in Iraq," Meehan said. "Cpl. King answered his call to duty and made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom of the United States, Iraq, and the world. We all owe him a debt of gratitude."
The Marine Corps told King's family his remains would be flown to Maryland within days, but it is still not clear how much longer it will take the body to return to Massachusetts.
As a result, funeral plans have not yet been made.
No matter how long it takes to set up those arrangments, Nick King's memory will not fade.
"Before he left he told me he wasn't worried about himself. He said he'd be fine," said his sister Dianna, her voice low. "He promised me he'd come back home. He will be in our hearts and thoughts forever."
"It was complete devastation," said his mother, Julie King. 
Thank you and be strong
Rhonda McCarthyPMM of Joe McCarthy KIA 9/6/06