CAMP BAHARIA, Iraq -- “And now we are left with the memory of a fellow Marine, a comrade, and a brother-in-arms,” said Capt. Thomas G. Ziegler Jr., the commanding officer of Weapons Company, 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment. “He joins the honorable ranks of the many Marines who gave all in the defense of a great nation. “A hero, a father, and a friend. An example for all of us of what we can achieve when we care more about others than self. Let us all strive to honor him by setting the same standards that Cpl. Taylor set for himself. Let us live by his example.”Corporal William G. Taylor, a 26-year-old, Kansas City, Mo., native, was killed in action Nov. 30 by anti-coalition forces while deployed here. On Dec. 13 his fellow Marines gathered to pay respects and reflect on his life. “Today we come together to honor another fallen comrade, another brother-in-arms,” said Ziegler. “Everyday he shared your risk, endured the same hardships, and in the end made the ultimate sacrifice. Cpl. William G. “Billy” Taylor let us remember him and lets us never forget his memory.”Taylor was well known throughout the company for his sense of humor and ability to make anyone laugh. “It was his self-appointed job in the platoon,” said Staff Sgt. Jason A. Cobb. “He had a way of releasing everyone’s tension in a job full of it. It seemed to be his personal mission to ensure that everyone in the platoon would smile on a daily basis.” “You never knew what Taylor had in store for the next day, but you could always count on him being the angriest person alive when he woke up,” said Cpl. John L. Tingley. “Billy could turn any bad day into a good one and any bad situation into a laughing matter.”Taylor also knew how to be serious as well and get his mission accomplished. “On Cpl. Taylor’s serious side, he was about accomplishing the mission,” said Cobb. “He got the job done. He stood up for the Marines both beside him and under his care. He ensured that he had time for everyone. He was a huge part of turning this platoon into a family, a group of brothers who always took care of each other, regardless of the need.” “His picture will forever hang in the Weapons Company office,” said Sgt. Glendon H. Rawlins. “His memory will live on through us in stories that will be told and passed down from Marines of old to the boots who take our places. “Years from now when an Iraq memorial is erected in honor of those who paid the ultimate price, those of us who knew Cpl. Taylor will go there and look long and hard to find his name. When it is found, I imagine that we will stand before his name smiling and thinking of all the times we shared. Many have come and gone in this conflict and in the Marine Corps but no one will ever be the same to us as Cpl. Billy Taylor.”To many, Taylor was the image of a man and of a Marine.“If you ask me what makes a man, I would tell you that it was someone that takes care of business and interacts positively with everyone,” said Cobb. “If you asked me what makes a Marine, I would say that it is having heart. If you ask me about Cpl. William Taylor, I would tell you he was both.” Taylor is survived by his daughter Leah, mother Catherine and brother Joshua.