SEEKONK, Mass. -- A deeply religious Catholic family stood in their back yard today by tables full of mementoes that they created as a memorial to their son, Eric Valdepeñas, a 21-year-old Marine lance corporal killed by a roadside bomb Monday in Iraq's restive Al Anbar province.

Valdepeñas, son of Dr. Jesus Bernal Valdepeñas, an East Providence family practice doctor, and Anne-Marie Valdepeñas, was on patrol in Fallujah when his vehicle was struck by the bomb, known as an "improvised explosive device," the Department of Defense said last night.

Journal photo / Bob Thayer

The family of Marine Lance Cpl. Eric Valdepenas spoke of their son, who died Monday in Iraq, at their Seekonk home, where they displayed mementoes of his life. The photo shows him playing lacrosse for Bishop Hendricken High School. Gallery: View more photos from the family's press conference

Two other Marines, from Tulsa, Okla., and Overland, Kan., were also killed in the attack.

Valdepeñas, a 2003 graduate of Bishop Hendricken High School, was the youngest of eight children. Besides his parents, he is survived by five sisters and two brothers.

His brothers, who also attended Hendricken, are traveling back to the state but were not yet in town for today's press conference, said Hendricken's chaplain, Father Marcel Taillon.

The Marine's parents and several of his sisters talked to reporters late this morning. A sister walked out of the family home with her hand on her father's arm as if to support him. Dr. Valdepeñas had trouble speaking.

"I miss my son," he said. “He told me, 'Dad, you're going to be proud of me,' " his father said.

Then his father added, "He's not coming back any more."

The Marine's mother called her son "a loving, kind, loyal friend."

A sister who described herself as a Quaker educator called the war an “unjust war.” Reading from a prepared statement, Edna-Anne Valdepeñas spoke of the pain of losing her brother.

“I know that this loss tears at the fabric of my being,” she said.

One sister, Karen Ing, was overcome with emotion and had another sister read her prepared statement.

The family told the many television, print and radio reporters set up with cameras on tripods in their backyard that they felt a responsibility to talk about the son and brother whom sister Nora Lough called "our hero."

An engineering student at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Valdepeñas had interrupted his college studies to serve in Iraq when his reserve unit, the 1st Battalion, 25th Marines, weapons company, was deployed to Iraq in March. The unit, based in Ayer, Mass., was scheduled to return late next month.

Lough said he was a strong example of "dedication and perseverance."

"He was truly our hero," she said.

The tables set up in the backyard by the family tell the story of a boy who loved sports, his family, his country and his religion.

An oversized shoebox held a large baseball-card collection. A certificate Valdepeñas earned as a machine gunner in the U.S. Marine Corps' school of infantry stood next to family photos and an old school photo of a classroom of children. A large statue of Mary, the mother of Jesus, stood next to a clear vase of fresh sunflowers, a wooden giraffe and a large stuffed gorilla, which took an observer back to Valdepeñas' childhood.

An oversized photo of Valdepeñas playing his beloved lacrosse supported his lacrosse stick, and a crisp Marine photo showed Valdepeñas ready to serve his country.

On a white chair in front of the tables rested a Marine fatigue jacket bearing the young man's name and a pair of tan military boots.

A photo of Valdepeñas rested in a silver-colored frame inscribed: "You are my hero, a strong light in times of darkness and a role model of all that is best in life. Always dedicated to the needs of others, you show the strength to meet any challenge with courage, wisdom and heart. You inspire us to create a better world."

Valdepeñas was remembered at Hendricken yesterday as a star athlete and an honors student. He was co-captain of the Hawks' lacrosse team and an all-state lacrosse player.

His family has started a scholarship in his name at Hendricken, Taillon said. The family is still praying about the details of the award, but the recognition of a student with outstanding character would probably go to a lacrosse player, perhaps from the region, Taillon said.

Anyone wishing to make a donation toward that award, Taillon said, can send contributions to the school: The Eric Valdepeñas Memorial Scholarship Fund, Bishop Hendricken High School, 2615 Warwick Ave., Warwick, RI, 02889.

At Hendricken yesterday, Brother Thomas R. Leto, the school's president, spoke highly of the student who followed in his brother's footsteps by attending the private Roman Catholic college prep school in Warwick.

"Eric was a bright young man, always upbeat and positive," Leto said.

Administrators interrupted classes yesterday afternoon, the second day back from summer vacation, to announce Valdepeñas' death and to offer prayers for him and his family, Brother Leto said.

"There was silence in the hallways after the announcement and the fellows feel it," he said.

Last night, the school's chaplain said he went to the family's home and prayed with them. The Catholic Diocese helped coordinate today's press conference by the family, as a way for them to talk about their son and brother at one time, Taillon said.

"It's just devastating," said Kevin Murray, of East Providence, the Hendricken lacrosse coach. "The kid was just a top-notch kid. He stopped by last year to tell me he was going into the Marines. He was a very dedicated kid to both Hendricken and to the lacrosse team."

Marine Lance Cpl. Eric Valdepenas

Classmates were stunned. "I really don't know what to say other than I'm shocked that Eric was killed," said Marine Cpl. Timothy K. Hanrahanin an e-mail message to The Journal. "What I can remember about him is that he was always positive and kept a good mental attitude about him."

Another classmate, Nick DeRobbio, who is in the Army, said in an e-mail, "He was a great kid, always had a smile on his face. I was very sad when I found out."

Valdepeñas was the second Hendricken graduate to die in the Iraq war. Army Capt. Matthew August, of North Kingstown, was killed on Jan. 27, 2004.

Valdepeñas' Marine battalion is known as "New England's Own." Almost 60 percent of its 1,000 troops are from Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire and Connecticut.

Valdepeñas had received numerous honors, including a purple heart, the Marine Corps said.

Valdepeñas is the second soldier from southeastern New England to be killed in Iraq in the past two weeks. Army. Sgt. Moises Jazmin, 25, of Providence, was one of four troops who died Sunday, Aug. 27, after a roadside bomb exploded near their military vehicle in a village about 20 miles northwest of Baghdad.

"Death at such a young age is hard to fathom," said Hanrahan, the Marine classmate, who is home on pre-deployment leave. "One minute that person is alive and the next he/she isn't, it's mind boggling. . . . I try to take each day as it comes because tomorrow might not be there for any of us."

-- With staff reports from Alisha Pina

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