First Lt. Salvatore S. Corma II, 24

Even when Army First Lt. Salvatore S. Corma II was 4, he was a leader.

He played Batman, and none of the other children on his block could take a turn. They could be Robin or one of the other characters, just not Batman, recalled his mother, Gertrude.

That innate ability to lead continued throughout his short life.

Lt. Corma, 24, died Thursday, April 29, in Zabul, Afghanistan, in an attack involving an improvised explosive device.

When his parents asked why he was working the IED detail in Afghanistan, he said he could not live with the guilt of knowing one of his men died when he was sitting back, simply instructing them.

"He said, 'Mom, you have to lead from the front. You never lead from the back,' " his mother said.

According to letters his family has received, Lt. Corma saved the lives of 18 unit members by trying to disable the IED, as he had done on other occasions.

Lt. Corma's full name, Salvatore Simplicio, means simple or humble savior in Italian, and he was just that from an early age, his family said.

Born in Philadelphia but raised in Wenonah, he attended St. Margaret Regional School in Woodbury Heights from first through eighth grade.

Though always a Batman fan - he had the pajamas and every single toy he could find - he developed an affinity for karate because of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

"Can I join karate so I can be like the turtles?" he asked his father.

Never imagining the boy would be accepted at age 5 - let alone maintain an interest - his father took him to a nearby karate center.

His ability flourished. By age 7, Lt. Corma had an adult black belt; by 12, he had a third-degree black belt in tang soo do; and by 16, he had won a silver medal in a national karate competition.

In addition to karate, Lt. Corma played roller hockey, baseball, and football. He also played the accordion and guitar, his mother said.

And he loved adventure, she said. As a Boy Scout for several years, he developed a love of guns. During an Indiana Jones phase, he wanted to be a Navy SEAL or join the Army's Special Forces.

While at St. Augustine Preparatory School in Richland, Atlantic County, Lt. Corma was always on the honor roll, ran winter track, and continued with karate, his mother said. After graduating with honors in 2004, Lt. Corma went to the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y.

He graduated in 2008 and took airborne training at Fort Benning, Ga. He attained a Ranger badge, of which he was most proud, his mother said.

He then was stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C., assigned to the Second Battalion, 508th Parachute Regiment, Fourth Brigade Combat Team, 82d Airborne Division.

In October, Lt. Corma was deployed to Afghanistan.

Although soldiers don't get to return home for at least six months, his mother requested a special leave for her son in early March for his father's right-thigh amputation - in case his father didn't survive.

Because the message was delayed, Lt. Corma arrived home in mid-March, after his father's surgery. He received 10 additional days as compensation and was home through the first week in April.

The second day Lt. Corma was home, he went to BJ's Wholesale Club and Sam's Club and bought 17 cases of energy drinks for his platoon, his mother said.

"He was very lovable, easygoing. He was just a joy," she said.

In addition to his parents, Lt. Corma is survived by his grandmother Gertrude H. Keeney.

A visitation will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 11, at the McGuinness Funeral Home, 573 Egg Harbor Rd., Washington Township. Another visitation will be held from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 12, at St. Margaret Church, Third Street and Beech Avenue, Woodbury Heights, where a Funeral Mass will be said at 11 a.m.

Full military honors and a committal blessing will be held at Gloucester County Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Williamstown. Burial will be at West Point on Thursday, May 13.

Memorial donations may be made to Magee Rehabilitation Hospital, 6 Franklin Plaza, Philadelphia 19102.