SAN DIEGO - Relatives and friends of a highly-decorated 22-year-old Camp Pendleton-based Marine are in mourning following his combat death in Afghanistan.

Cpl. Christopher J. Boyd died Thursday, Aug. 19, 2010 in Helmand Province after an improvised explosive device exploded while he was on foot patrol, according to the Department of Defense.

He was a member of the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force.

A 2006 graduate of Palatine High School in Palatine, Ill., Boyd was the second Camp Pendleton marine from suburban Chicago to die in combat this week.

Lance Cpl. Kevin E. Oratowski of Wheaton, Ill., died in Helmand Province on Wednesday, according to the Department of Defense.

Boyd is survived by his parents, his wife and twin boys, according to The Advertisement

[ Chatton and Associates ] Daily Herald in Palatine.

After joining the Marine Corps in 2006, Boyd won a Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, Humanitarian Service Medal and the National Defense Service Medal, according to The Daily Herald.

Boyd played for the football, wrestling and lacrosse teams at Palatine High School, The Daily Herald reported. His football coach, Tyler Donnelly, told the newspaper that Boyd was a role model.

"For years his name has been passed down in our program," Donnelly said. "We talk about him all the time. I really can't think of a better kid to give an example of what we're trying to get across: selflessness, sacrifice and hard work.

Since early June, Camp Pendleton has lost more than a dozen men to the nearly 9-year-old war in Afghanistan.