ENCINITAS -- The father of a local Marine being investigated for war crimes said Thursday that his son was "a consummate Marine and consummate professional," and said he was "firmly convinced" of his son's innocence.

John Jodka III, who was born and raised in Encinitas before joining the Marines last year, is sitting in the Camp Pendleton brig, one of eight service members being investigated on allegations of killing an Iraqi civilian.

From his home in Encinitas, Jodka's father, John Jodka Jr., said his son "is convinced that the system will exonerate him and his fellow Marines."

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service is looking into allegations that on April 26, the eight detained troops, all from Camp Pendleton, conspired to kidnap and kill a 52-year-old Iraqi civilian in the village of Hamdania, west of Baghdad, and then staged a scene to make it appear the man was armed and planting a roadside bomb.

Jodka, who attended school in Solana Beach before graduating from San Dieguito in 2004, moved out of the college dorms in Riverside at the end of that year.

In May 2005, he shipped off to boot camp. And by January, he had landed on the sands of Iraq.

The young man enlisted, his proud father said Thursday, "based on a profound and deep philosophy that, as a citizen, he owed service to his country.

"He could think of no better service than to be the 'tip of the spear.' Intellectually, he could have taken any occupation in the military, but it was his choice to be in the infantry as a rifleman."

The Marine turned 20 in April in Iraq. A little more than a month later, the private first class and at least seven other Camp Pendleton troops were back on American soil.

But there was little time to celebrate their return. Within a day of arriving in Southern California, Jodka and the other troops -- a total of seven Marines and one Navy corpsman -- were put in Camp Pendleton's brig, or jail.

No charges have been filed, but attorneys for some of the detained men have said they expect the military to do so shortly.

Jodka said his son was keeping his spirits high. Visits to the brig, he said, are limited to the weekends, and are always through a glass barrier.

"When I go visit him, when I leave, even though he's the one in chains, I am the one who is uplifted," Jodka said. "I come to buck him up on his morale … and I am the one who is lifted. He is my hero."

The young Marine was born and raised in Encinitas, along with his 17-year-old brother and 15-year-old sister. He also has two older stepbrothers, one of whom is a deputy sheriff in North County.

The elder Jodka said his son, "a precocious child," attended elementary and middle school at St. James Academy, a Catholic school in Solana Beach.

The younger Jodka had the grades to land not just in college, but at a University of California campus.

But, after a quarter at UC Riverside, the pull was just too strong. He wanted to be a Marine.

Ask John Jodka Jr. what he thinks of when he thinks of his son, and the first thing that comes to mind is his boy's interest in history and philosophy.

John Jodka III, his father said, is one of those people who sees the bigger picture and the deeper meanings, one of those well-read, well-spoken, mature-for-his-age kind of kids.

He's also "hilarious," dad said. And a big fan of Star Wars.

Jodka fought tears as he spoke of his son, his voice catching on the words.

"The best memories I have of him are of playing baseball, playing catch with him," the elder Jodka said, his breath catching as he fought tears. "We'd just throw the ball together as father and son."

Dad works at a San Diego-based ship construction yard, but on his own time, he is a personal trainer -- a skill he used to help get his namesake son ready for boot camp, strength training so he could hit the required number of pull-ups and the like.

The elder Jodka said his son expects to be exonerated.

"And the first thing that he wants to do," Jodka said, "is go back and be with his battalion in Iraq."

Jodka has a website tell his boy's story and ask for financial help with his legal defense: http://www.innocentmarine.com/

Contact staff writer Teri Figueroa at (760) 631-6624 or tfigueroa@nctimes.com.