Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Aaron Boyles, 24, Newark; Killed in Combat in Iraq

After learning of his death, six relatives of Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Aaron Boyles decided to always keep with them a permanent reminder of his service to his country: tattoos of a Purple Heart medal.

“Mine says, ‘Always in my heart,’ ” said his sister Anna Schneider of Hood River, Ore. “When people see it, I can tell them how proud I am of him and what he’s done for his country.”

Boyles, 24, of Newark, Calif., was among three Marines killed in combat Sept. 24 in Iraq’s Al Anbar province. He was deployed in February and assigned to the Headquarters and Service Company, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, Calif.

Boyles proudly wore a Marine Corps tattoo and planned to spend his career in the military and retire in Oregon, where he grew up.

One of his favorite pastimes was going off-roading in Oregon’s backcountry. But he liked nothing more than bringing amusement to other people’s lives, whether it was having his buddies over for a Super Bowl party or surprising his wife with a bouquet of flowers.

“He was a very happy person, always laughing,” said his wife, Prabha. “He was always busy trying to make other people feel better.”

Boyles posthumously was awarded a Purple Heart after he was killed in action, and earlier had received another such medal for a combat injury. His wife said he did not reveal the nature of the injuries to relatives because he didn’t want to upset them. “He said he would tell me about it when he got home,” said Prabha, who is expecting the couple’s first child Oct. 17.

Boyles, who would have turned 25 this week, had been looking forward to seeing his wife and new child on a two-week leave beginning Oct. 19.

Military officials, however, suddenly canceled the leave, his wife said. “All he said was they had a special mission and couldn’t come home this time,” she said.

Boyles couldn’t stop talking in phone calls and wrote letters home about the impending birth of his son, whom the couple had already named Brandon.

“He was excited about it all the time,” his wife said. “He wanted to teach him to play football and basketball and to play catch. He wanted to be a good dad.”

Boyles moved from Oregon to the Bay Area as a teenager. After graduating from Newark Memorial High School in 1998, he wasn’t sure what to do with his life.

Before joining the Marines in late 2002, he worked in the automotive department of the Union City Wal-Mart, where he met Prabha, a customer service manager.

“When he joined the Marine Corps, he found his place,” his sister said. “It totally changed him. He became a man, with bigger responsibilities than he had ever had.”

Boyles and his wife were married July 4, 2003. “He chose that day because it’s patriotic,” she said. “He always put the flag out and talked about how he loved this country.”

In addition to his wife and sister, Boyles is survived by his mother, Wanda Kealaiki, and stepfather, Alex Gallardo, of Newark, Calif.; another sister, Angel Boyles; two brothers, Ademir Gallardo and Andrew Gallardo; and a 5-year-old son, Derrick Boyles, from another relationship. Funeral arrangements were pending.