20, of Hampstead, N.H.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii; killed Feb. 9 when the vehicle in which he was traveling in rolled over during a combat patrol near Jalalabad, Afghanistan

Slain soldier felt military was the right choice

HAMPSTEAD, N.H. — Services were held Friday for a 20-year-old Marine who died last week in Afghanistan.

Family and friends gathered for Pfc. Matthew Bertolino’s funeral service at Hampstead Congregational Church. Bertolino was killed in a truck accident while on patrol near Jalalabad.

Bertolino served with the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force based in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.

The Pinkerton Academy graduate leaves behind his parents, Stanley and Joyce, and two older sisters Kristen and Kimberly.

Kristen Bertolino read from her brother’s letters home. Matthew Bertolino wrote that he felt joining the military was the right choice, because he was protecting people.

— Associated Press