A 19-year-old Marine from Naples died Friday night in a training accident in California.
(FOX)- Austin Ruiz was hit by a stray bullet during the drill, another Marine was injured, according to a press release.
“He wanted to become a Marine since he was 4 or 5,” said Nell Ruiz, Austin’s father.
Austin graduated from boot camp in 2015 before spending time in Japan. His fellow soldiers remembering Austin as someone who lifted their spirits.
Friends and family say although Ruiz, a Naples High graduate was determined to be a Marine, he never took himself too seriously.
“He was a ham, a class clown,” said his dad. “Teachers loved him, teachers hated him.”
But no one doubted his commitment to serving others, including his country.