who was planning to visit him when the shooting occurred. she has vowed to become a marine to honor his memory. one of his last texts, quote, can't wait anymore, wells texted. yes, you can, honey, his girlfriend replied. they then wrote, active shooter. his father was asked what drove him to serve. >> tradition. >> tradition. with everything going on he wanted to help out. and being in the marine corps is where he thought he could do the most good. >> sergeant carson holmquist was 25 years old and deployed to afghanistan twice. he was married and had a 2-year-old son. he played defensive back on his high school football team. gunny sullivan was in the marines for 18 years and was about to retire. he survived truck bombs in one of the iraqi worst assaults the battle of abu ghraib. he received purple hearts.