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WILMINGTON -- Friends and Family continue to mourn the death of SFC. Edward Chester Kramer of Wilmington. He was one of the North Carolina National Guardsmen killed last week in Iraq.

Kramer’s friends know him as Ed; a soldier, firefighter, friend and father, as well as the life of the party and always a practical joker.

"I am just going to miss a lot of times you could hang out with your buddy," said Kramer’s friend, Mike Bannon.

Bannon and Gene Bentsen were two of Kramer's closest buddies. Both have nothing but good memories about their friend.

"Ed loved being outdoors; we've always had our trucks and loved going out four-wheeling. [He] loved being on the beach; loved his fishing," said Bannon

And Kramer’s friends loved him.

"Ed was definitely a Marine through and through, and I can relate to him as being Gunny Highway from Heartbreak Ridge," said Bannon. "He didn't care how many stars were on your collar he would tell you how it is and he earned a lot of respect from the National Guard officers that he dealt with."

They also respected him as their fellow soldier.

"You can look in the dictionary and see the word soldier or warrior… he should be right beside it. He loved what he did. He loved being a firefighter and he loved being a soldier," said Bentsen.

Both men used the word proud when they described their friend -- proud for serving the county and proud to call him their friend.

Now they said they have a new reason: Kramer will be buried in the Wilmington National Cemetery. It’s an honor fit for a hero.

"I am so proud of Ed, and to put him to rest in that cemetery, it is just going to be an honor," said Bannon. "There is definitely so much history there.

"We're not blood-related, but we're definitely brothers."