Spc. Marcelino R. Corniel of La Puente, California had just five days left in Baghdad, 13 days before he would arrive stateside and 23 days before saying, "I do." But the life of the 23-year-old National Guard member from La Puente was cut short when he was killed in a mortar attack. Family members called him Ronnie, and he served four years as a Marine, went to Iraq and was sent back a second time in September with the Army National Guard. He was a Bassett High School graduate where was a legend making everyone laugh and was a good friend and loved. He was a confident and a born leader who loved guns, protected the women in the family and was a good role model. He also loved music. He started a band the previous year called Crash Ride, which recorded a CD titled "Never Forget." Corniel's biological father died when he was young. His sisters, Kristen, was a junior at Bassett High School and Kimberly, a freshman at Bassett. He was 23.

Army
National Guard
1st Battalion
184th Infantry Regiment
Fullerton, California

Spc. Marcelino R. Corniel of La Puente, California had just five days left in Baghdad, 13 days before he would arrive stateside and 23 days before saying, "I do." But the life of the 23-year-old National Guard member from La Puente was cut short when he was killed in a mortar attack. Family members called him Ronnie, and he served four years as a Marine, went to Iraq and was sent back a second time in September with the Army National Guard. He was a Bassett High School graduate where was a legend making everyone laugh and was a good friend and loved. He was a confident and a born leader who loved guns, protected the women in the family and was a good role model. He also loved music. He started a band the previous year called Crash Ride, which recorded a CD titled "Never Forget." Corniel's biological father died when he was young. His sisters, Kristen, was a junior at Bassett High School and Kimberly, a freshman at Bassett. He was 23.

Army
National Guard
1st Battalion
184th Infantry Regiment
Fullerton, California