Marine Lance Cpl. Patrick Xavier Jr.

Died May 18, 2010 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

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24, of Pembroke Pines, Fla.; assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died May 18 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, of while supporting combat operations.

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Marine possessed ‘a child’s smile’

The Associated Press

Patrick Xavier loved to read books about psychology and philosophy as he tried to gain a better perspective on the world around him.

The most recent additions to his library in Afghanistan? Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War” and Gen. Omar Bradley’s memoir, “A Soldier’s Story.” His father, Patrick Xavier-Kemp, had sent the book to him a few weeks before he died.

The Marine was a private person, but he enjoyed playing basketball with his 18- and 22-year-old brothers. He also hoped to go to medical school one day.

But Xavier, 24, of Pembroke Pines, Fla., was killed in a firefight May 18 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, his family said.

Xavier was born to Haitian immigrants in Queens, N.Y., and moved with his family to Florida more than a decade ago, his father said. He graduated from Miramar High School in 2003 and worked a couple of different jobs before joining the Marines. He was assigned to Camp Lejeune, N.C.

His father said he called home to talk to his mother just hours before he was killed.

Xavier had “a child’s smile, a smile that you can read his heart through,” his father said. “He was a true person, honest, very dedicated.”