Four Camp Pendleton-based Marines have died in Iraq, the Marine Corps announced Thursday.

The four were in a Humvee in western Anbar province on Friday night when a roadside bomb exploded, according to published reports. They were members of the Combat Logistics Battalion 1, Combat Logistics Regiment 1, 1st Marine Logistics Group, base spokeswoman Cpl. Priscilla Vitale said.

The dead were identified as Lance Cpl. Casey L. Casanova, 22, of McComb, Miss.; Cpl. Miguel A. Guzman, 21, of Norwalk; Lance Cpl. James F. Kimple, 21, of Carroll, Ohio; and Sgt. Glen E. Martinez, 31, of Boulder, Colo.

Casanova was a field radio operator who joined the Marine Corps in December 2005, the release said. She earned the National Defense Service Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.

Her mother, Paula Carruth, told the Mississippi Clarion Ledger that Casanova was a talented musician known for her kindness. Casanova's decision to join the Marines upset her family, and they had been anxious ever since she deployed Feb. 14.

"The way she grew up, I never dreamed the military would be something she wanted to do," Carruth told the Clarion Ledger. "I'm not going to lie to you; I tried to talk her out of it every day. But she had a strong will, and she said that's what she wanted."

Guzman, 21, of Norwalk, was an organizational automotive mechanic, the statement said. He joined the Marines in August 2004 and earned the National Defense Service Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.

Attempts to locate Guzman's family were unsuccessful.

Kimple was a maintenance management specialist who joined the Marines in July 2004. His honors include the Navy Unit Commendation, the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.

Kimple was an avid reader who had been determined to join the military since high school, according to published reports. He is survived by a wife, three children and his parents.

A statement released by the family this week says that they are "… sad to say that James died but are relieved to say he did so doing what he loved to do -- serving his family and country as one of the few, the proud, the Marines."

Martinez was an engineer equipment operator, the Camp Pendleton release said. He joined the Marines in June 2004 and earned the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, the Navy Unit Commendation, the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.

His father, Ron Martinez, told the Boulder Daily Camera that his son, a high school sports star with degrees in engineering and mathematics, "baffled" his family by joining the Marines.

"Here he's got these two degrees. I asked him why," his father said. "He said, 'It's something I've got to do.' "

The four deaths bring the total number of North County-based Marines killed in Iraq to at least 349. At least 4,073 U.S. service members have died in the Iraq war, according to The Associated Press.

Contact Staff Writer Sarah Gordon at (760) 74-0-3517 or sgordon@nctimes.com