The body of a Marine reservist ant LAPD SWAT officer who was killed in Afghanistan will arrive at the Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base Monday.

Sgt. Major Robert J. Cottle, 45, left, and Marine Lance Cpl. Rick J. Centanni, 19, stationed in Afghanistan. (Courtesy of Jose Becerra/O.C. Register)

A memorial service was planned for 10 a.m. at the base.

Sgt. Maj. Robert J. Cottle, 45, was killed March 24 in a roadside bombing in Afghanistan's Helmand Province.

Cottle, who leaves behind a wife and a 9-month-old daughter, died alongside a fellow Southern California Marine, Lance Cpl. Rick J. Centanni, a 19-year-old light armored vehicle driver from Yorba Linda.

Hundreds of law enforcement officers, firefighters, active-duty armed forces, veterans and civilians attended a tearful tribute to Centanni at the Joint Forces Training Base on Friday.

Attendees held American flags and saluted as armed forces members transported the coffin containing Centanni's body.

Centanni wanted to become a police officer just like his father, a 25-veteran on the force.

Cottle, who became the LAPD's first officer to die in combat in Afghanistan, was a veteran of two tours in Iraq. His wife, Emily, is a naval officer stationed in Hawaii.

After enlisting in the Marines at 18 and being deployed to Africa, Germany and Hawaii, Cottle decided he wanted to become a police officer.

He stayed in the Marines as a reservist when, in 1990, he entered the LAPD academy.

When he died, he was assistant team leader of the SWAT team, his father said.

L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa released a statement praising Cottle's dedication to public service.

"Very few people know what it truly means to every day have the courage to unflinchingly march forward in the face of danger," Villaraigosa said. "Yet Officer Cottle did so with not only a steadfast commitment to the safety of this city, but with a strong sense of pride and duty to his country."

Centanni and Cottle became close friends after their deployment family members say.

Both men served with the 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, Headquarters Company, 4th Marine Division, based at Camp Pendleton.

They, along with two other marines who survived the blast, were patrolling in the Marja region near the Pakistani border when they were killed.

A public funeral for Centanni is scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday at St. Martin De Porres Catholic Church and buried later in the day at Riverside National Cemetery.