Funeral for Marine Cpl. Miguel Guzman

Guzman’s cousins Diana Estrada, center, and Maribel Herrera comfort each other during graveside services at Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier, where some wore sweatshirts paying tribute to the Marine.  (Carlos Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

A flag is removed from Guzman’s casket before it enters St. John of God Church in Norwalk, where dozens of fellow Marines attended his funeral service and burial. Among them was Sgt. Gavino Martinez, who said of Guzman: “He was a hard worker, always active, always willing to help.”  (Carlos Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

A Marine holds the folded flag that had draped Guzman’s casket during services at St. John of God Church in Norwalk. “To serve in the military is a vocation that is very special — the idea of protecting what you believe in,” Father John-Paul Gonzalez said during his eulogy. “And there is no greater way to show your love than to lay down your life for someone else.”  (Carlos Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

Guzman’s eldest brother, Jose Jr., left, listens as his aunt, Leticia Guzman, reads a prayer to the family while her husband, Salvador, looks on. She tried unsuccessfully to choke back tears as she said, “Today, we can at least celebrate that Miguel is now in a place where there is no more combat.”  (Carlos Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

Family members and friends gather over Guzman’s casket at Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whitter.  (Carlos Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

Miguel Guzman, 21, of Norwalk enlisted in the Marine Corps after graduating from high school in 2004, eager to serve his country. A mechanic, he was killed May 2 while on a late-night assignment west of Baghdad to recover a vehicle in need of repair. A roadside bomb ripped through his Humvee, killing him and three other Marines.  (Carlos Chavez / Los Angeles Times)