The War on Terror touched close to home last week when Washington native John Linde Jr. was killed while protecting a U.S. diplomatic convoy in the West Bank.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of this brave young man.

John - who had been an athlete while at Washington High School - had joined the Marines after graduating from high school, serving for 10 years. He was following in the footsteps of both his grandfather and father, who both made the Marines their career.

I have been told that John left the Marine Corps last year to take care of his wife, Courtney Linde, an airman in the Air Force. She learned about a year ago that she had bone cancer. The couple was living in San Antonio, where she has been through chemotherapy and surgery.

In August, John began working for DynCorp, the firm contracted by the State Department to provide security for embassy officials in Tel Aviv. The job was dangerous, but John enjoyed it. It was what the Marines had trained him for.

John was serving his country just as he had done as a member of the armed forces.

Here in Washington, we will remember John Linde Jr. for more than just his heroics on the football field. We will remember him for his love of family and his dedication to country.

We will remember him as a young man who was willing to lay down his life to make others safe.

Here in Washington, John Linde Jr. will always be a hero.