Family, friends celebrate life of fallen U.S. Marine

Milwaukee --  \"We just knew we had to get up here for it,\" U.S. Marine Lance Corporal Brian Harris said.

Two friends traveled to Milwaukee for U.S. Marine Lance Corporal Jeremiah Collins' funeral Saturday.

\"Some people forget how dangerous it actually can be,\" Harris said.

Collins was working as an intelligence specialist.  He died in Afghanistan earlier this month. 

Brian Harris and Nathan Ewell entered the Marine Corps last summer with Collins.  They trained together before Collins went to Afghanistan.

\"He was a big PT'er,\" Ewell said.  \"Some of the training we did as a class, we did grappling matches and he loved doing that.  He never tapped.  We almost broke his ankle one time, he didn't want to tap.\"

\"He was alwasy there for me, I was always there for him,\" Harris said.  \"He never had a car so he would always call me up for a ride. I would bring him to chow. Even one time, I'm not a tattoo guy,  I even brought him to get a tattoo even though I hated every minute of it.\"

Saturday's service included full military honors.

\"It's incredible and he deserves every bit of it,\" Harris said.

Both said it was difficult to know their friend is gone.

\"It was tough, probably the hardest thing I've ever had to do.\"

Harris kept in touch with collins through Facebook.  His friends say Collins had a great sense of humor and helped them through tough times.  They have an idea of what he'd say today.

\"On Facebook, when we would end a conversation, I'd just tell him to stay safe,\" Harris recalls.  \"And he'd just tell me to stop being so damn sappy so that's probably what he would say today.\"