SOUTH HAVEN | For Carlos Jimenez, the halls of Paul Saylor Elementary bring a slew of memories.

From his influential teachers, to acting as youth counselor, they came flooding back as the 20-year-old U.S. Marine lance corporal spoke to students Wednesday.

Rows of children sat on the school's carpeted gym floor, staring up at the young soldier.

"You can do anything," the Portage High School grad told his pint-size brethren.

"Being a Marine is hard work," he said, "but so is being a teacher. They're the ones who set me on the path to becoming a U.S. Marine," he said, telling kids to work hard to overcome challenges.

Jimenez -- who took questions on everything from guns to Iraq's weather -- knew several of the children from his three years volunteering at the South Haven Boys and Girls Club.

He returned home earlier this month on a leave, and was honored last week by the South Haven Little League and the American Legion.

"He was pretty humbled by it," his mother, Diana Jimenez, said. Seeing her son step off a bus returning him home was "like 50 pounds off my shoulders."

Carlos enlisted in the Marines when he was 18, and later was stationed in northern Iraq. While there, he and fellow troops patrolled local communities to check for explosive devices.

Having him safe, at his elementary alma mater, "is a wonderful relief," said first-grade teacher Debra Baron, who taught Carlos, his two brothers and sister. "I'm proud, but I was always proud of him."

For Carlos, coming home has meant finally enjoying home-cooked meals along with catching up with his family. His 6-year-old cousin, Nicholos Lewis, engages him with his G.I. Joe dolls.

The days of fighting with his 19-year-old sister, Veronica, are long gone.

"We're closer than ever now," she said. "It's good to have him home."

Carlos, who has another two years of active duty, may be sent back to Iraq in 2008, he said. At the end of his month-long leave, he plans to drive more than 2,000 miles back to his Twentynine Palms base in California.

"I'll have a nice, long road trip," he said.