The mother of a 21-year-old lance corporal, who is one of eight men in the Camp Pendleton brig for the alleged kidnapping and murder of an Iraqi civilian, said Tuesday, "I know my son is innocent."

The woman, named Deanna, didn't want her last name to be published to protect the identity of her son.

Authorities have not identified any of the prisoners, but Deanna is the second family member of the men to talk with reporters. Pfc. John Jodka's father, who lives in Encinitas, talked about his son last week.

No charges have been filed yet against the seven Marines and a Navy corpsman in the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment's Kilo Company under investigation for the April 26 death of an Iraqi man in the village of Hamdania.

"It hurts me to think this is the way we welcome home our heroes," said Deanna.

Carlsbad attorney David Brahms, who is representing Deanna's son, put her in touch with the North County Times on Tuesday.

She would not comment on specifics of the case, but talked about her son's experiences during three tours of duty in Iraq.

He joined the Marine Corps as a skinny 6-foot-tall, 145-pound teenager before graduating high school in 2002 in the Seattle area, she said.

"He was patriotic and cared about what happened on 9/11," the mother said. "He wanted to give something back to his country. He had other choices, and he could have gone to college."

She said her son took college classes such as calculus and physics in high school and planned to attend college in California and study to become an architect when completing his service this October.

His first tour was from April 2003 to September 2003 and his second tour lasted from September 2004 to April 2005, she said.

"The second tour was really tough, and he saw a lot of really nasty things," the woman said.

During a push to gain control of Fallujah, the lance corporal saw his best friend and roommate from Camp Pendleton killed a day after his 21st birthday.

"It was really tough on him," his mother said.

She said when he returned home the bang of fireworks "bothered him," and she watched carefully to see if he was suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.

While he seemed a little bit distant at times, she said there were no "clear signs that he was affected by it."

The 21-year-old lance corporal returned to Iraq in January with the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment's Kilo Company.

"They were doing a lot more police work than Marine work," the mother said of her son's third tour of duty in Iraq. "They were doing more investigative work."

During the third stint, she said he son's platoon spent a lot of time patrolling areas around Fallujah. She said they had very strict orders about when they could shoot at civilians.

"The rules of engagement are extremely restrictive, and they have to go through a big process," the mother said. "He knows all of the rules and obeys them."

She said there is a lot of responsibility placed on the shoulders of 18- to 22-year-old troops who "are just kids."

Her son still laughs out loud when watching cartoons and loves the Dave Matthews Band and playing video games.

"He is the world's biggest book reader," said the mother, who added that she would send her son mysteries in his care package. "He always has a smile and is one of the happiest guys in the universe."

Deanna said she has not seen her son in the brig, but she talks with him every couple of days on the phone.

"When he calls me collect from the brig he tries to make me laugh," she said.

The mother said she doesn't understand why her son and the other seven men are being held in solitary confinement at the brig, and wear shackles whenever they leave their cells.

Military officials have said the Marines are in the brig because there is a chance they will flee with the serious nature of the possible charges.

Attorneys representing the men said they soon expect the military to file charges of murder, kidnap and conspiracy.

Deanna said she understands the need to investigate the incident, but that she doesn't think there is any reason to keep the Marines in the brig.

"They believe the Iraqis instead of our kids and they are giving the Iraqis the benefit of the doubt and aren't giving our kids the benefit of the doubt," she said. "I hope people realize how much the Iraqis are using this as another weapon in their arsenal to undermine our belief in what our guys are doing."

- Contact staff writer David Sterrett at (760) 761-4411 or dsterrett@nctimes.com.