The last time Erik Silva visited his hometown, the 23-year-old Marine attended the town’s annual carrot festival and got a special blessing from his grandmother.

On April 3, two months after that visit, the infantry rifleman died in combat when his platoon was ambushed in Iraq, said his brother.

The youngest of four children, Erik Silva graduated from Holtville High, where he played the trumpet, was a drum major and a member of the varsity golf team.

“He joined the Marines mainly because he wanted to pursue a career in law enforcement. The best way to do that is to join the military,” said Isaac Silva, 28.

When Silva last returned home for a few weeks in late January and early February, Isaac Silva said he and his brother had a sobering talk, acknowledging the risks of war.

“It wasn’t the normal, ‘Hey bro, let’s go have a few beers.’ It was the ‘Do you have everything set? Do you have all your papers in order? Where can I find it in case of an emergency?’ ” he recalled. “It was a very serious, deep conversation and it needed to be done.”

From his 72-year-old grandmother, Rebeca Silva, the Marine sought a special blessing. She kissed him and said a prayer with him, relatives recalled.

“He valued my mom’s blessing very much,” said his aunt Elvira Silva.

— Associated Press