MALDEN, Mass. -- A young Marine from Malden is being remembered after he was killed in the line of duty in Iraq.

NewsCenter 5's Jack Harper reported that Lance Cpl. Edward Garvin, 19, was killed less than one month into his tour.

Garvin and his childhood sweetheart, Melissa, were married for only a couple of months before he was deployed.

"He looked at it as if he didn't go over there, somebody else would be leaving their family, and they would go over there. He had to do it because he would rather him than somebody else. It was just the kind of person he was," Melissa Garvin said.

The Garvins first met in the second grade at Lincoln Elementary School.

"The only thing I want, I want him to be remembered for who he was. When he came home, that uniform came off," Melissa Garvin said.

Edward and Melissa Garvin both attended Northeast Metro-Regional Voc-Tech High School.

"He was a very popular young man, a very nice young man. He had a great smile," said school Superintendent Patricia Cronin.

"He never did anything wrong. He wasn't even gone a month when this happened, and it's a month today. And his remains will be back on our year anniversary," Melissa Garvin said.

The Garvins did not have a formal wedding and had planned to have a ceremony when he returned from his tour in June. Melissa Garvin said she has already bought her gown. She said she will try to auction off the gown and donate the proceeds to a local Boy Scout troop with which her husband was active before he was deployed.