VIDALIA &8212; Lance Cpl. Billy &8220;B.J.&8221; Brixey Jr. was just three weeks into the heart of what was likely to be his chosen career when a bomb exploded in Afghanistan.

The Vidalia native died Friday in Germany from injuries sustained Wednesday when a roadside bomb exploded near his convoy.

His parents Billy and Cassandra Brixey were notified of their son&8217;s death Friday by military personnel.

Brixey, 21, had been stationed in Hawaii for three years with the Marines, but he shipped out to Afghanistan during the first week of January.

&8220;He was proud to be a Marine,&8221; his father Billy Brixey said. &8220;He would have been out in July, but he was talking seriously about re-enlisting.&8221;

BJ Brixey loved the work &8212; he was a mechanic &8212; the learning, the travel and the service to his country, his family said.

Being a Marine helped define Brixey, teachers and administrators at Vidalia High School said Monday.

&8220;He just seemed to really have his life on track when we saw him last,&8221; Librarian Paula Crouch said. &8220;He was just so positive about everything and so on top of everything.&8221;

Every time Brixey returned to Vidalia, he made a day of going to his old school and visiting with teachers, who all speak highly of him. He graduated from VHS in 2002.

&8220;He was probably one of the best kids we had come through here,&8221; football coach Dee Faircloth said. &8220;He was one of my favorites. He never complained about anything.&8221;

Brixey was one of the top PE students but didn&8217;t try out for football until his senior year, Faircloth said. He performed well on the field as a defensive end and tackle, always giving 120 percent, Faircloth said.

On his last trip home, Brixey brought Faircloth a baseball cap from Hawaii he&8217;d had specially made with the Vikings logo.

In Assistant Principal Jana Lincecum&8217;s office, Brixey circled the day he would ship out to Afghanistan.

&8220;He was just one of the sweetest kids I ever taught,&8221; Lincecum said. &8220;He didn&8217;t have a mean bone in his body. His temperament was so kind. He was lovable.&8221;

Funeral arrangements are incomplete at this time. Brixey&8217;s body will be transported to Vidalia from Dover, Del.

Survivors include brother James Brixey.