Parents recall Brad Payne

Marine Corps sergeants arrive Monday in Pike Road to talk with Carol Payne about funeral arrangements for her son, Cpl. Brad Payne.

A Montgomery marine serving his country is dead after an explosion rocked his armored vehicle. Brad Payne was only 24-years-old.

The solace the Paynes once found on the lake behind their house is no longer the same. The water reflects memories of happier times with their son, Brad, who was killed last week in Iraq.

They knew the consequences Brad would face buried with the 2-8 Platoon, but prayed he wouldn't be among the thousands of Americans killed in sectarian violence overseas.

Brad Payne's father, Howard, says, "In preparing Brad for being a Marine, he had to prepare us to be better parents as well."

Marine Corporal Payne was among four soldiers killed in a roadside bomb, the latest in a rising death toll in the Middle East. However, behind each number is a family like the Paynes, working to get past the unimaginable grief of losing a son.

Cpl. Payne's mother, Carol, says, "God doesn't promise how long they're going to be with us, but while they are here we are to take care of them and be a good example to them."

Payne also leaves behind two sisters and a wife of two years, just on the brink of beginning his own family.

Carol Payne recalls, "He wrote a letter from Afghanistan. He said, 'If I don't make it, take care of Erin and make sure she gets to church.'"

The Paynes say Brad decided to join the Marines when he was in sixth grade, a choice partly influenced by his grandmother, who was a recruiter for the Marines during World War II. So far, the Paynes have more questions than answers about when their son's body will arrive in Montgomery. They expect it will be sometime this week, after the Columbus Day holiday.

This was Corporal Payne's third deployment overseas.

WSFA 12

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Brad Payne killed by roadside bomb