Kevin T. Preach’s shyness didn’t define him.

“He was quiet at first, but that is not at all who he was,” said Dan Linehan, who met Preach in middle school. “He was outgoing, friendly. He was a very, very unselfish kid. He just wanted to be in the Marines to show that he could do something to help.”

Preach, 21, of Bridgewater, Mass., died Feb. 7 from wounds suffered Jan. 24 while supporting combat operations in Farah province. He was a 2007 high school graduate and was assigned to Camp Lejeune.

Preach’s family and friends said he always wanted to be a Marine since he was a young child, perhaps because his father had been one as well.

“He knew what it entailed, and he never complained or talked about how dangerous it was,” said Brianna Kelliher, Preach’s girlfriend. “He once said that he wasn’t afraid to die, he was just afraid of what it would do to all the people around him.”

He also is survived by his mother, Laurie.

“He was the funniest person I have ever met,” said Kelliher. “He would always make sure that everyone around him was comfortable, so he would always tell jokes.”