A Marine sergeant with ties to Vicksburg has found an unusual way to honor the memory of a high school friend who was killed in Iraq.

Jamie Coomes and his wife, Holly, have named their newborn son for Cpl. Matt Dillon, who was killed in 2006 in Iraq.

Ryder Dillon Coomes was born Oct. 5 in Aiken, S.C., where Jamie Coomes and Dillon were classmates at South Aiken High School.

Dillon was on patrol in Iraq when he was killed by an improvised explosive device.

Jamie Coomes is the son of Vicksburg native Bobby Coomes, a graduate of St. Aloysius High School, and the grandson of Delores Coomes of Vicksburg and the late Billy Coomes.

Jamie Coomes is serving a one-year tour with the Marines in Afghanistan, his second tour of duty, and expects to return to South Carolina in July.