Lance Corporal Ross S. Carver, 21, of Rocky Point, N.C., was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, at Camp Lejeune, N.C., and served during Operation Enduring Freedom. On September 3, 2010, he died while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

A 2007 graduate of E.A. Laney High School, LCpl. Carver enlisted in the Marines the following March. He followed his older brother into the Corps, knowing full well what he would face rigorous training that, if mastered, earned one the right to be called a Marine, and the very real possibility of being wounded or killed in action. LCpl. Carver was posthumously awarded a Purple Heart for his sacrifice.

LCpl. Carver was a devoted son, husband, and father. He would go out of his way to help anyone he could. “He was conscientious- a very strong student,” said Gary Green, the JROTC instructor at Laney High School. “There was no doubt he was going to graduate. He could have gone to college, but his plan was to join the Marines.”

LCpl. Carver’s son is a Folds of Honor Scholarship recipient.