When Marine Cpl. Mark Goyet returned from Iraq last winter, he spent a month with his grandparents in Westbrook.

He talked about going to college and then becoming an officer like his father, Navy Cmdr. Raymond Goyet.

But Mark Goyet soon changed his mind and instead convinced the Marine Corps. to let him go to Afghanistan, said his grandfather, Philip Curran of Duck Pond Road in Westbrook.

Goyet died in battle on Tuesday in Helmand Province. Family members in Maine are mourning the loss of the kind and good-natured 22-year-old.

“He was a very popular guy, a very thoughtful guy,” Curran said. “He was the kind of a guy who would take people under his wing.”

Goyet felt a strong sense of duty to the men he served with. His family tried to talk him out of going to Afghanistan, Curran said.

“They think that he did that because he thought some of his friends had been injured, and that he he hadn’t given enough,” he said.

Mark Goyet never lived in Maine, but he spent plenty of time here with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.

His parents, Raymond and Martha (Curran) Goyet, grew up in Westbrook and graduated from Westbrook High School in 1977. Raymond Goyet was a well-known athlete and both were members of long-time local families.

Mark Goyet’s maternal grandparents, Philip and Nancy Curran, are still in Westbrook. His paternal grandparents, the late Raymond Goyet Sr. and Muriel Goyet, lived on Brown Street in Westbrook before their deaths.

Mark Goyet also has aunts, uncles and cousins in southern Maine.

When his unit returned from Iraq last year, two of his aunts went to the airport in Bangor to be part of the greeting line.

He was given an honorary “Maine Patriot” license plate.

“He was very proud of that license plate,” Curran said.

Mark Goyet’s parents now live in Sinton, Texas. The Currans and other Maine relatives plan to fly to Texas this weekend for a military ceremony on Monday and Goyet’s funeral on Tuesday.

“We mourn the tragic loss of Corporal Goyet, and we are profoundly mindful of his steadfast courage and noble sacrifice as he heroically answered his country’s call to service,” U.S. Sen. Olympia J. Snowe said in a statement released today. “His bravery and dedication will never be forgotten. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends during this most difficult of times.”

Gov. Paul LePage also issued a statement: “It is with great sorrow I extend my sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Corporal Mark Guyot. We will not forget his courage and dedication which he displayed fighting to the defense of our freedom. His sacrifice will forever be remembered.”

Goyet was assigned to 3d Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, (Regimental Combat Team-8, II Marine Expeditionary Force FWD), 1st Marine Division, based in Twentynine Palms, Calif.