It will be a tough Thanksgiving for a local family. Instead of anticipating their son’s arrival for the holidays, they’ll be laying him to rest. Sgt. Daniel Frazier was 25 years old and only married for 8 months when a suicide car bomb killed him last Thursday.

Frazier was a member of the 82nd Airborne Division. His family members describe him as a sensitive man with a big heart. He loved trucks, video games and hated being the center of attention. But that’s exactly what he is this week in his home town—St. Joseph, Michigan.

"Dan was one of those students who stood out. I got to know Dan pretty well. It hits home," shares Jim Berry, Dan’s drafting teacher at St. Joseph High School.

The flag flies at half staff and students honor Dan with a moment of silence Monday morning at St. Joseph High School.

"It's the least we can do for everything he's done for us," says Jeff Runser, St. Joseph High School Principal. "I think it's difficult because it's so close to home with Dan. It makes you really stop in your tracks."

"He really truly was so kind and thoughtful and was always checking in on other people and watching out for his litter sister,” shares another teacher, Lauri Berry. “He was just a really great guy."

Dan’s family says he joined the Army because he was having a hard time finding a job. They say he instantly loved being a soldier. They say that’s what made him grow from a boy to a man.

Funeral arraignments have not been made, but family says the funeral will be at Brown Funeral Home in Niles. Dan’s body returned to U.S. soil on Saturday when he landed at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.