Sgt. Alejandro Carrillo

Alejandro Carrillo joined the Marines, saying he'd rather die for his country than at the hands of a street thug. The 22-year-old Marine sergeant, who often came back to Carson High School to encourage students to stay in school, was killed in Iraq during combat operations Jan. 30 in Anbar. "He would come back to the school and talk to the kids, and tell them, 'Hey, you need to get a good education; there's more to life than the streets and drugs and gang banging,'" said Master Sgt. Phillip Zamora, Carrillo's Junior ROTC instructor. Zamora said he spoke with Carrillo after the young man decided to join the Marines and warned him about the realities of war. "He said, 'I'm very well-aware of that. But I'd rather die serving my country than die in the streets for no cause, for no reason,'" Zamora said. Two years ago, Carrillo's brother Marvin Vasquez, 25, was shot to death during a confrontation with Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies. Authorities said Vasquez was armed with a knife and stick and deputies acted in self-defense. Carrillo was deployed to Iraq for his first seven-month tour soon after boot camp and was scheduled to return from his second tour this month, his wife Maria Carrillo said. The couple has a 3-year-old son, Alejandro Jr. "He was planning to go back to school, maybe be a psychology major," his wife said. Along with his wife and son, Carrillo is survived by parents Daniel Carrillo and Luisa Bravo; brothers Juan, Luis and Allan; and sister Dayana. Funeral services were set for Saturday in Wilmington.