Two Kaneohe Marines were killed over the weekend in Afghanistan while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, the Pentagon said.

Lance Cpl. Jacob A. Meinert, 20, of Fort Atkinson, Wis., died Sunday. Lance Cpl. Mark David Juarez, 22, of San Antonio died Saturday. They served in the 1st Battalion, 3rd Regiment, 3rd Marine Division.

Juarez had already served in Iraq when “;he volunteered for this second tour,”; said his aunt Rosemary Martinez. “;He loved his job”; and came from a family dedicated to military service, including his father, great-uncles and cousins.

Before the 2005 Holy Cross High School grad joined the Marines, his mother and grandmother tried to stop him. “;I told him, 'My son, it's too dangerous for you to leave in the service,'”; said grandmother Elida Flores, 64.

Juarez replied, “;But Grandma, I love being in the service. ... I want to serve my country.”;

He promised, “;I'll come back soon.”;

Meinert was remembered by Jeff Zaspel, Fort Atkinson High School principal, as “;a really good young man, just a nice guy, positive and upbeat,”; WKOW-TV in Madison, Wis., reported.

Meinert was in the chess club and was “;most passionate ... about playing the trombone”; in the jazz band, he said. He joined the Marines shortly after graduating in 2007.