Las Vegas isn't typically the place to hold a solemn memorial for a fallen soldier, but that's not the kind of memorial that British marine David Hart wanted:

YORK, England, June 20 (UPI) -- A British marine killed by a Taliban bomb in Afghanistan left nearly $162,000 for a celebration of his life -- in Las Vegas -- his friends said.

David Hart, 23, who was from Poppleton, near York, England, took out a $500,000 life insurance policy before going to Afghanistan, The Sun reported Monday.

In addition to the Las Vegas money for his friends, he left part of the insurance money to a charity for insured marines.

He wrote a letter saying he wanted to send his friends and their girlfriends to Las Vegas to party in his memory if he died.