Florida Times-Union -- When Marcus Preud'homme followed his older brother into the Marines, he was chasing his dreams to "be all you could be," said a family friend.

"Marcus always had high standards and high expectations of himself," Desiree Downing said.

Those dreams came to an end Thursday. Preud'homme, a sergeant, was killed by a bomb in Iraq, said Dan McCarthy, Jacksonville's director of military affairs.

Preud'homme had been home recently, visiting a month or so ago. He spent New Year's in New Orleans with family members, said his sister Jessica Preud'homme, speaking briefly through her tears about what she said were so many happy memories.

A 2004 graduate of Fletcher High School, Preud'homme received a number of academic honors and was a member of the school's wrestling team.

"He loved the competition, the challenge," his sister said about his wrestling career. "It was something new for him to learn."

That thirst for knowledge marked his entire life, said Downing, who owns the Beach Hut Cafe where Preud'homme and members of his family had worked.

"Some kids just come and want to do one thing, he was one who wanted to learn everything," she said.

Preud'homme was "quiet and strong," said Roy Fallon, head coach of the Fletcher wrestling team and a Marine veteran himself. "When he would come visit the team, he looked like a Marine. He seemed happy with the opportunity to serve his country."

Three Marines assigned to Multinational Forces-West died Thursday in Anbar Province, just west of Baghdad, The Associated Press reported. It was unclear Friday if Preud'homme was one of the three.

According to the AP, the Marines and about 20 others were killed when a suicide bomber attacked a meeting of pro-government Sunni sheiks.