MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, Hawaii -- Hawaii-based Marines held a memorial service on Thursday for three who were killed by a suicide bomber in Iraq earlier this year.

Thursday's ceremony was the only chance as a unit for fellow Marines to mourn and remember their fallen comrades. It was also to honor the victims' family members.

Battalion commander Lt. Col. Max Galeai from American Samoa had family in Hawaii and was described as a "warrior" and a "strong leader" who asked the tough questions.

"He was a humble guy, very quiet. You listened to him. He'll do anything for anybody," Galeai's cousin, Norman Bartley, said.

Cpl. Marcus Predhomme, of Florida, was a free spirit who loved a good party, and Capt. Philip Dykeman, of New York, had such good relationships with the local leaders in Iraq that a school was named after him, friends said.

"In addition to being an awesome commander, Capt. Dykeman was a good friend. He wasn't the kind of friend you'd call by first name, but he was the kind of friend I could confide in," 1st Sgt. Dillon Goldman said.

The three from Marine Corps Base Hawaii were killed at a monthly meeting with local Iraqi leaders and security officials in Anbar Province, Iraq, when a suicide bomber attacked.

Two Marines survived the blast, including Sgt. Keith Buckmon, 25, who was seriously injured with two broken legs.

"I might not be full, but anything that I'm going through is not going to change my mind about the Marine Corps," Buckmon said.