MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) – Friends who gathered Monday for the funeral of a New Hampshire Marine killed in Iraq said he embodied the central values of the Marine Corps – honor, courage and commitment.

Lance Cpl. Adam Brooks, 20, was killed Nov. 28 while patrolling Baghdad after a bomb exploded near his Humvee.

Brooks entered the Marine Corps upon graduation from Central High School in 2003 and served in the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, stationed at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Lance Cpl. George Kalantzis, a childhood friend who made a pact with Brooks a decade ago to join the military, told about 200 people at Sacred Heart Church that Brooks was honorable, responsible and brave and always did “the right thing, the right way, for the right reasons.”

The Catholic Mass was attended by U.S. Sen. Judd Gregg, Gov. Craig Benson, Gov.-elect John Lynch and Manchester Mayor Robert Baines.

Leaning on Kalantzis before and after the service were Brooks’ mother, Rose Marois, and his 19-year-old widow, Ashley. Ashley and Adam married over Memorial Day weekend, when he was home on leave.

In a homily addressed to Ashley, the Rev. Michael Gendron said Adam dedicated his life to a “noble dream” so others could live in freedom.

“The gift your husband gave of his very life for the sake of people he did not know is a reminder … to the whole world that love is not an act of emotion, but an act of will,” he said.

A friend of Ashley’s family read a letter written by her mother, Vivian McDonald, encouraging Ashley to honor her husband’s memory by fulfilling the plans they had made together.

The newlyweds had decided he would try to become a state trooper upon leaving the Marines, and she would attend cosmetology school, then become a teacher. He was expected home in February.

“You have been blessed to be married to such a noble young man,” her mother’s letter read. “As you honor your husband through your actions and your words … he reflects your beauty and grace, as you reflect his strength and love.”

Brooks’ casket was accompanied by an honor guard of six Marines. A number of veterans and military family members also attended.

“We don’t personally know him,” said Concord Fire Battalion Chief Guy Newbery, whose son served with the Marines in Iraq. He was accompanied by Concord Fire Lt. Bobby Silvestriadis, a former Marine.

“I just think we should stop and pay our respects to these young guys, take time out to appreciate what they’re doing,” Newbery said.