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Since he was a boy, Noah Pier was a Marine.
He'd dress in fatigues, and play war in the backyard. He'd set up obstacles and run his five younger brothers through it - Noah was the drill sergeant, his brothers the grunts.
His family moved to Charlotte in 1995 from Northern Virginia when Noah was 10. He was home-schooled and after earning a high school diploma, he was free to join up immediately.
"But he worked a few years and took courses at" Central Piedmont Community College, his mother, Vikki Pier, said Sunday. "He wanted to make sure he went in (to the Marines) for the right reasons."
Last week, on foot patrol, the 25-year-old lance corporal was killed in the southern Afghanistan province of Helmand.
Early today, Pier's body will be flown home. A visitation is scheduled for 5 to 9 p.m. today at McEwen Funeral Home, 10500 Park Road. A memorial service will be 1 p.m. Tuesday at Forest Hill Church, 7224 Park Road. In March, Pier will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington.
His death came as news reports surfaced on the growing dangers faced by Pier's Hawaii-based regiment (he was assigned to 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division) in parts of Helmand, where roadside bombs are stronger and harder to detect, and they're everywhere. It is a region where support for the Taliban is strong.
Pier had served one tour in Iraq and had been in Afghanistan since November. His comrades in Bravo Company called him "big brother," partly because he was older, but also because he set the standard as a Marine, his commander told his parents.
Pier's body will be flown to Wilson Air Center near Charlotte/Douglas International Airport. It will be given a motorcycle escort to McEwen by N.C. members of the Patriot Guard Riders. They'll set up a "flag line" with American flags at the funeral home and at Forest Hill.
"We stand in honor of those who've given the ultimate sacrifice to maintain our freedom," said Keith Arbuckle of Concord, a Vietnam veteran and the guard's assistant N.C. captain. "They are due that respect."
Pier was scheduled to return to Hawaii in June. He was engaged; a summer wedding had been set.
Early on, he'd contemplated making the Marines a career. But in recent months, he was considering other options, his father, Mark, said.
"He was talking about going back to school," Mark Pier said. "But he believed in what he was fighting for. He was fighting for our freedom and he believed in that."
