In the perilous fight, a bright star

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Lance Cpl. Justin Wilson loved his country and absolutely adored the American flag. On multiple occasions, a family friend who spoke to WPBF-TV heard Lance Cpl. Wilson talk about how much the stars and stripes meant to him in life, and even death.

"He said if he ever came home in a box that he would want thousands of people to know that he had died for his country," friend Cindy Capwell said on Thursday.

So, Capwell and Wilson's family members gave him just that, lining the street where he once lived with American flags.

"He wanted flags and flags," Capwell said. "He just always said, 'If I come home dead, I want flags.'"

According to the Pentagon, Wilson was killed in combat on Monday in Afghanistan's Helmand province. TCPalm has an excellent profile of the brave Marine from Palm City, Florida, which includes an interview with his grieving father. Reporter Will Greenlee asked Lance Wilson about his final conversation with his son, which occurred on the Marine's 24th birthday.

"He was a little afraid. I could hear it in his voice," the 53-year-old Wilson said. "He didn’t want to talk about what was going on there. He wanted to talk about his wife, the family. He wanted to know what was going at home."

According to the article, Wilson married "the girl of his dreams," Hannah, on October 30, 2009, in North Carolina. With just 57 days left in his combat tour, the newlyweds were planning a larger ceremony in Florida, so more friends and family members could celebrate with them after the Marine returned. While in Afghanistan, Wilson told his new bride and other loved ones stories of handing out candy to children and helping rebuild a local school. Wilson's family is asking that in lieu flowers, donations be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, a fantastic organization.

Lance Cpl. Justin Wilson had a loving wife and bright future to look forward to after his tour of duty. Yet knowing the risks, the young man volunteered to defend the flag he loved so dearly. I am about to check on my flag and make sure it is flying proudly in honor of this Marine, who proved that America is still the home of the brave.