Iraq was the last place that anyone expected to find shy, dreamy In Chul Kim. The military didn’t seem an obvious choice for the guy whose sister describes as a bit of a mama’s boy who preferred quiet evenings alone with his books and drawings.

But when In Chul joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 2001, everyone knew why. “He did it for our parents,” said In Chul’s older sister, Suna Park, who spoke to KoreAm in Korean. “He was really good to them, always thinking of them.”

The Kims immigrated from Seoul in 1999 to Warren, Mich., primarily for In Chul’s future. “As for all Korean parents, it’s all about their kids, their education, their future. And they thought there were better opportunities in America than Korea.”

So when three uniformed Marines showed up at the Kims’ house in early December, grim-faced and stoic, Suna immediately feared the worst and thought about her mother, worried about how she would handle the news.

“I knew she was going to take it really hard,” Suna said. “When my brother got into a car accident once, she fainted and collapsed. My parents are elderly, and they just adored my brother. He was their only son. They had him later in life. My father was 37 when he was born. He was so precious to them.”

In Chul in his room in Iraq.

The Marines refused to disclose to Suna why they were there. In Chul had requested that, in case of death, his parents be the first ones to be notified.

“They waited until my parents came home,” she said. “I asked them to tell me, but they said no, they needed to speak with my parents. But I knew. There was a dark air about them, and they had a lot of forms and documents.”

Corporal In Chul Kim died Dec. 7 in Al Anbar Province during a “non-hostile vehicle incident,” according to a statement by the Department of Defense. He was manning a weapon atop a 7-ton truck when the vehicle hit a barrier and overturned, crushing him, reported the Detroit Free Press.

He was 23.

In Chul joined the Marine Corps shortly after graduating from Warren Mott High School. Kim, who wanted to be a doctor of Eastern medicine, was reluctant to ask his parents to pay for college tuition.

“Tuition was expensive and he saw how hard our parents worked at the dry cleaners, washing, folding, sewing,” Suna said. “They immigrated just over five years ago, and they’re not young. The military pays for college, so he decided to join.”

In Chul joined the Marines to earn money for college.

In Chul enlisted with the Marines in August 2001. He was assigned to the 9th Communications Battalion, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force.

In Chul was excited at first to be part of such a tightly knit team, eager to learn more about America, but his initial enthusiasm — stoked by training in Camp Pendleton — waned after his first tour of duty in Iraq.