BRAZZAVILLE, Congo (KLFY) -- A Marine from Lafayette serving at an American embassy in Africa has died while on duty, according to a report by the Marine Corps Times.

Lance Cpl. Nicholas Maurice Dural, 20, of Lafayette, who had been serving at the U.S. embassy in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, since April, died Dec. 19. The report said Dural's death was confirmed by his family, who provided no other details.

He was enrolled in college online, studying psychology, according to his mother. His first job in the Marine Corps was as a Marine embassy security guard. according to his mother. He organized the embassy’s Marine Corps birthday ball in November.

“He’s one of the best people I’ve ever met in my whole life,” Dalton Dural, the Marine's father, said in the report. “His heart was so good. And I’m not saying that because he’s my son. It’s what I saw and experienced.”

According to the report, a State Department spokesperson on Friday confirmed the death of a U.S. service member in the Republic of Congo but declined to comment further.

Marines serve as guards at U.S. embassies and consulates.

The Marine Corps Times is an independent media outlet based in Virginia serving active, reserve and retired Marine Corps personnel and their families.

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