As requested.

Please use this thread to post information pertaining to the Marines called to duty... not here on earth, but to a more glorious place in heaven.

For the most recent Department of Defense release of Information pertaining to Casualties, click here:

http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/

This web site
http://www.usmchangout.com/id77.htm maintains a rather up to date listing of USMC Casualties in Operation Iraqi Freedom (be advised... it lists the casualties by home state, not chronological, or alphabetical by name)


Semper Fidelis

[This message was edited by GunnyHicks on Sat, 27 March 2004 at 5:29.]

Thanks to Fontman for posting this information in another thread.

List current as of 9:00 PM EST Thursday, March 25

Lance Cpl. Brian E. Anderson, 26, of Durham, North Carolina.
Killed in a non-hostile accident west of An Nasiriyah, Iraq. Anderson was manning a .50 caliber rifle on top of a 7-ton truck when the vehicle passed under and apparently snagged low hanging power lines. He was assigned to the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Died on April 2, 2003.

CWO Andrew Todd Arnold, 30, of Spring, Texas.
Killed in a non-hostile accident with two other soldiers when a rocket-propelled grenade launcher they were firing for familiarization malfunctioned on a firing range near the city of Al Kut, Iraq. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Died on April 22, 2003.

Maj. Jay Thomas Aubin, 36, of Waterville, Maine.
Killed in a CH-46E helicopter crash in Kuwait. He was assigned to the Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron -1, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Corps Air Station, Yuma, Arizona. Died on March 20, 2003.

Lance Cpl. Andrew Julian Aviles, 18, of Tampa, Florida.
Killed in Central Iraq when an enemy artillery round struck the Amphibious Assault Vehicle in which he was riding. He was a member of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve assigned to the 4th Assault Amphibian Battalion, 4th Marine Division, Tampa, Florida. Died on April 7, 2003.

Pfc. Chad E. Bales, 20, of Coahoma, Texas.
Killed in a non-hostile vehicle accident during convoy operations east of Ash Shahin, Iraq. He was assigned to 1st Transportation Support Battalion, 1st Force Service Support Group, Camp Pendleton, California. Died on April 3, 2003.

Capt. Ryan Anthony Beaupre, 30, of St. Anne, Illinois.
Killed in a CH-46E helicopter crash in Kuwait. He was assigned to the Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron -268, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Corps Air Station, Camp Pendleton, California. Died on March 20, 2003.

Sgt. Michael E. Bitz, 31, of Ventura, California.
Killed in action in the vicinity of An Nasiriyah. He was assigned to the 2nd Assault Amphibious Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Died on March 23, 2003.

Lance Cpl. Thomas A. Blair, 24, of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.
Killed in action. His unit was engaged in operations on March 24 on the outskirts of An Nasiriyah in Iraq. His remains were recovered on March 28. He was assigned to the 2nd Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion, Marine Control Group-28, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, Cherry Point, North Carolina.

Gunnery Sgt. Jeffrey E. Bohr, Jr., 39, of Ossian, Iowa.
Killed in northern Baghdad while engaging enemy forces. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, Camp Pendleton, California. Died on April 10, 2003.

Cpl. Travis J. Bradachnall, 21, of Multnomah County, Oregon.
Bradachnall was killed in an explosion during a mine clearing operation near the city of Karbala, Iraq. Bradachnall was assigned to Combat Service Support Group 11, Camp Pendleton, California. Died on July 2, 2003.

Cpl. Andrew D. Brownfield, 24, of Summit, Ohio.
Brownfield died due to wounds received from an enemy mortar attack at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq. He was assigned to Marine Wing Support Squadron 374, Marine Wing Support Group 37, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, California. Died on March 18, 2004.

Lance Cpl. Cedric E. Bruns, 22, of Vancouver, Washington.
Bruns died in a non-hostile vehicle accident in Kuwait when the pick-up truck that he was driving was struck on the driver's side by a logistics vehicle system. He was a reservist assigned to the 6th Engineer Support Battalion, 4th Force Service Support Group, Eugene, Oregon. Died on May 9, 2003.

Lance Cpl. Brian Rory Buesing, 20, of Cedar Key, Florida.
Killed in combat in the vicinity of An Nasiriyah. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Died on March 23, 2003.

Lance Cpl. Tamario D. Burkett, 21, of Buffalo, New York.
Killed in action. Burkett was engaged in operations on the outskirts of An Nasiriyah on March 23. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

Staff Sgt. James W. Cawley, 41, of Layton, Utah.
Killed during a firefight with enemy forces. He was assigned to F Company, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, Salt Lake City, Utah. Died on March 29, 2003.

Cpl. Kemaphoom A. Chanawongse, 22, of Waterford, Connecticut.
Killed in action during operations on the outskirts of An Nasiriyah on March 23. Chanawongse was assigned to 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

CWO Robert William Channell, Jr., 36, of Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Killed in a non-hostile accident with two other soldiers when a rocket-propelled grenade launcher they were firing for familiarization malfunctioned on a firing range near the city of Al Kut, Iraq. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Died on April 22, 2003.

2nd Lt. Therrel Shane Childers, 30, of Harrison County, Mississippi.
Killed in action in southern Iraq. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, California. Died on March 21, 2003.

Lance Cpl. Donald J. Cline, Jr., 21, of Sparks, Nevada.
Killed in action. Cline was engaged in operations on the outskirts of An Nasiriyah on March 23. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

Capt. Aaron J. Contreras, 31, of Sherwood, Oregon.
Killed in a UH-1N Huey helicopter crash in southern Iraq. He was assigned to Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron (HMLA)-169, Marine Aircraft Group-39, Marine Corps Air Station, Camp Pendleton, California. Died on March 30, 2003.

Pfc. Ryan R. Cox, 19, of Derby, Kansas.
Died as a result of wounds received from a non-combat weapon discharge near An Najaf, Iraq. Cox was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California. Died on June 15, 2003.

Lance Cpl. Andrew S. Dang, 20, of Foster City, California.
Dang died due to hostile fire near Ar Ramady, Iraq. He was assigned to 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, California. Died on March 22, 2004.

Cpl. Mark A. Evnin, 21, of Burlington, Vermont.
Killed in action during a firefight in Central Iraq. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, Twentynine Palms, California. Died on April 3, 2003.

Pfc. Francisco A. Martinez-Flores, 21, of Los Angeles, California.
Killed during convoy operations when the bridge his tank was travelling over collapsed into the Euphrates River. He was assigned to the 1st Tank Battalion, 1st Marine Division, Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California. Died on March 25, 2003.

Capt. Travis A. Ford, 30, of Oceanside, California.
Killed in action when his AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter crashed during combat operations near Ali-Ariziyal, Iraq. Assigned to the Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron (HMLA) - 267, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Camp Pendleton, California. Died on April 4, 2003.

Lance Cpl. David K. Fribley, 26, of Fort Myers, Florida.
Killed in action in the vicinity of An Nasiriyah. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Died on March 23, 2003.

Cpl. Jose A. Garibay, 21, of Orange, California.
Killed in combat in the vicinity of An Nasiriyah. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Died on March 23, 2003.

Pfc. Juan Guadalupe Garza, Jr., 20, of Temperance, Michigan.
Killed in action in central Iraq. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, California. Died on April 8, 2003.

Lance Cpl. Cory Ryan Geurin, 18, of Santee, California.
Geurin was standing post on a palace roof in Babylon, Iraq when he fell approximately 60 feet. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, Twentynine Palms, California. Died on July 15, 2003.

Pvt. Jonathan L. Gifford, 30, of Decatur, Illinois.
Killed in action during operations on the outskirts of An Nasiriyah, Iraq. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Died on March 23, 2003.

Cpl. Armando Ariel Gonzalez, 25, of Hileah, Florida.
Killed in a non-hostile accident when a commercial refueler collapsed at Logistics Supply Area Viper in southern Iraq. Gonzalez was assigned to Marine Wing Support Squadron (MWSS)-273, Marine Wing Support Group (MWSG)-27, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina. Died on April 14, 2003.

Cpl. Jesus A. Gonzalez, 22, of Indio, California.
Killed while manning a checkpoint in Baghdad. He was assigned to 1st Tank Battalion, 1st Marine Division, Twentynine Palms, California. Died on April 12, 2003.

Cpl. Jorge A. Gonzalez, 20, of Los Angeles, California.
Killed in action in the vicinity of An Nasiriyah. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Died on March 23, 2003.

Pfc. Jose Franci Gonzalez-Rodriguez, 19, of Norwalk, California.
Killed in Iraq along with another First Marine Expeditionary Force Marine when unexploded ordnance they were handling detonated. He was assigned to the 1st Supply Battalion, 1st Force Service Support Group, Camp Pendleton, California. Died on May 12, 2003.

Cpl. Bernard G. Gooden, 22, Mt. Vernon, New York.
Killed during a firefight in central Iraq. He was assigned to the 2nd Tank Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Died on April 4, 2003.

Pfc. Christian Daniel Gurtner, 19, of Ohio City, Ohio.
Killed in southern Iraq by an accidental discharge of a personal weapon, unclear whether his own or someone else's. He was assigned to the 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California. Died on April 2, 2003.

Lance Cpl. Jose Gutierrez, 22, of Los Angeles, California.
Killed in action in southern Iraq. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, California. Died on March 21, 2003.

Sgt. Nicolas M. Hodson, 22, of Smithville, Missouri.
Killed in a vehicle accident in Iraq. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Died on March 24, 2003.

Pvt. Nolen R. Hutchings, 19, of Boiling Springs, South Carolina.
Killed in action. Hutchings was engaged in operations on the outskirts of An Nasiriyah on March 23. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

Cpl. Evan James, 20, La Harpe, Illinois.
Drowned while trying to cross the Saddam Canal in southeastern Iraq. Reservist with the Naval and Marine Corps Reserve Center, Peoria, Illinois. Died on March 24, 2003.

Staff Sgt. Phillip A. Jordan, 42, of Enfield, Connecticut.
Killed in action in the vicinity of An Nasiriyah. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Died on March 23, 2003.

Cpl. Brian Matthew Kennedy, 25, of Houston, Texas.
Killed in a CH-46E helicopter crash in Kuwait. He was assigned to the Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron -268, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Corps Air Station, Camp Pendleton, California. Died on March 20, 2003.

Lance Cpl. Nicholas Brian Kleiboeker, 19, of Irvington, Illinois.
Killed near Al Hillah, Iraq, when the munitions bunker he was working in caught fire and exploded. He was assigned to the 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Died on May 13, 2003.

Sgt. Bradley S. Korthaus, 28, of Scott, Iowa.
Drowned while trying to cross the Saddam Canal in southeastern Iraq. He was assigned to Engineering Company C, 6th Engineer Support Battalion, 4th Force Service Support Group, Peoria, Illinois. Died on March 24, 2003.

Lance Cpl. Jakub Henryk Kowalik, 21, of Schaumburg, Illinois.
Killed in Iraq along with another First Marine Expeditionary Force Marine when unexploded ordnance they were handling detonated. He was assigned to the 1st Maintenance Battalion, 1st Force Service Support Group, Camp Pendleton, California. Died on May 12, 2003.

Capt. Andrew David LaMont, 31, of Eureka, California.
Died when his CH-46 Sea-Knight helicopter went down in the Shatt Al Hillah Canal in Iraq shortly after take-off. The helicopter was conducting a resupply mission in support of civil military operations. He was assigned to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron - 364, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Camp Pendleton, California. Died on May 19, 2003.

Sgt. Michael V. Lalush, 23, of Troutville, Virginia.
Killed in a UH-1N Huey helicopter crash in southern Iraq. He was assigned to Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron (HMLA)-169, Marine Aircraft Group-39, Marine Corps Air Station, Camp Pendleton, California. Died on March 30, 2003.

Lance Cpl. Alan Dinh Lam, 19, of Snow Camp, North Carolina.
Killed in a non-hostile accident with two other soldiers when a rocket-propelled grenade launcher they were firing for familiarization malfunctioned on a firing range near the city of Al Kut, Iraq. He was assigned to the 8th Communication Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Died on April 22, 2003.

Sgt. Jonathan W. Lambert, 28, of Newsite, Mississippi.
Lambert died at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany, as a result of injuries he suffered when his HMMWV rolled over on May 26 in Iraq. He was assigned to the Headquarters Battalion, 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, California. Died on June 1, 2003.

Lance Cpl. Gregory E. MacDonald, 29, of Washington, D.C.
MacDonald died in Iraq when the light armored vehicle he was traveling in rolled over. MacDonald was assigned to Bravo Company, 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, Frederick, Maryland. Died on June 25, 2003.

Lance Cpl. Joseph B. Maglione, 22, of Lansdale, Pennsylvania.
Killed in non-combat weapon discharge at Camp Coyote, Kuwait. He was assigned to Bridge Company B, 6th Engineer Support Battalion, 4th Force Service Support Group, Folsom, Pennsylvania. Died on April 1, 2003.

Cpl. Douglas Jose Marencoreyes, 28, of Chino, California.
Died when the large transport truck he was driving rolled over approximately 30 km southeast of Al Samawah, Iraq. Marencoreyes was a reservist assigned to the 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, Headquarters and Service Company, Camp Pendleton, California. Died on May 18, 2003.

Staff Sgt. Donald C. May, 31, of Richmond, Virginia.
Killed during convoy operations when his tank plunged off a cliff into the Euphrates River. He was assigned to the 1st Tank Battalion, 1st Marine Division, Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California. Died on March 25, 2003.

Sgt. Brian D. McGinnis, 23, of St. George, Delaware.
Killed in a UH-1N Huey helicopter crash in Southern Iraq. He was assigned to Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron (HMLA)-169, Marine Aircraft Group-39, Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton, California. Died on March 30, 2003.

1st Lt. Brian M. McPhillips, 25, of Pembroke, Massachusetts.
Killed during a firefight in central Iraq. He was assigned to the 2nd Tank Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Died on April 4, 2003.

Cpl. Jesus Martin Antonio Medellin, 21, of Fort Worth, Texas.
Killed in Central Iraq when an enemy artillery round struck the Amphibious Assault Vehicle in which he was riding. He was assigned to the 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, California. Died on April 7, 2003.

Gunnery Sgt. Joseph Menusa, 33, of San Jose, California.
Killed in combat. He was assigned to the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, California. Died on March 27, 2003.

Pfc. Matthew G. Milczark, 18, of Kettle River, Minnesota.
Milczark died due to a non-combat related incident at Camp Victory, Kuwait. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, California. Died on March 8, 2004.

Cpl. Jason David Mileo, 20, of Centreville, Maryland.
Killed after being mistaken for an enemy soldier. Emergency personnel were immediately dispatched to the scene, but Mileo died on site in the vicinity of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, Twentynine Palms, California. Died on April 14, 2003.

Lance Cpl. Jason William Moore, 21, of San Marcos, California.
Died when his CH-46 Sea-Knight helicopter went down in the Shatt Al Hillah Canal in Iraq shortly after take-off. The helicopter was conducting a resupply mission in support of civil military operations. He was assigned to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron - 364, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Camp Pendleton, California. Died on May 19, 2003.

Pfc. Ricky A. Morris, Jr., 20, of Lubbock, Texas.
Morris died as a result of enemy action in Al Qaim, Iraq. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, California. Died on March 18, 2004.

Maj. Kevin G. Nave, 36, of Union Lake, Michigan.
Killed in a non-hostile vehicle accident in Iraq. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, California. Died on March 26, 2003.

Cpl. Patrick R. Nixon, 21, of Gallatin, Tennessee.
Killed in combat. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Died on March 23, 2003.

Lance Cpl. Patrick T. O'Day, 20, of Santa Rosa, California.
Killed during convoy operations when his tank plunged off a cliff into the Euphrates River. He was assigned to 1st Tank Battalion, 1st Marine Division, Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California. Died on March 25, 2003.

Lance Cpl. Eric J. Orlowski, 26, of Buffalo, New York.
Killed by an accidental discharge of a .50 cal machine gun in Iraq. He was assigned to the 2nd Tank Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Died on March 22, 2003.

Lance Cpl. David Edward Owens, Jr., 20, of Winchester, Virginia.
Died of wounds received in action on April 12 in central Iraq. Owens was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, California. Died on April 14, 2003.

Sgt. Fernando Padilla-Ramirez, 26, of San Luis, Arizona.
Killed in action. Sgt. Padilla-Ramirez was last seen conducting convoy operations in the vicinity of Al Nasiriyah on March 28. His remains were identified on April 10. He was assigned to Marine Wing Support Squadron-371, Marine Wing Support Group-37, Marine Corps Air Station, Yuma, Arizona.

1st Lt. Frederick E. Pokorney, Jr., 31, of Nye, Nevada.
Killed in action in the vicinity of An Nasiriyah. He was assigned to the Headquarters Battery, 1st Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Died on March 23, 2003.

Sgt. Brendon C. Reiss, 23, of Casper, Wyoming.
Killed in action. His unit was engaged in operations on the outskirts of An Nasiriyah on March 23. His remains were identified on April 11. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

Sgt. Duane R. Rios, 25, of Griffith, Indiana.
Killed during a firefight in central Iraq. He was assigned to 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, California. Died on April 4, 2003.

Cpl. Robert M. Rodriguez, 21, of Queens, New York.
Killed in action when the tank he was riding in fell into the Euphrates River during combat operations northwest of An Nasiriyah. He was assigned to the 1st Tank Battalion, 1st Marine Division, Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California. Died on March 27, 2003.

Cpl. Randal Kent Rosacker, 21, of San Diego, California.
Killed in combat in the vicinity of An Nasiriyah. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Died on March 23, 2003.

1st Lt. Timothy Louis Ryan, 30, of Aurora, Illinois.
Died when his CH-46 Sea-Knight helicopter went down in the Shatt Al Hillah Canal in Iraq shortly after take-off. The helicopter was conducting a resupply mission in support of civil military operations. He was assigned to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron - 364, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Camp Pendleton, California. Died on May 19, 2003.

Capt. Benjamin W. Sammis, 29, of Rehobeth, Massachusetts.
Killed in action when his AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter crashed during combat operations near Ali Aziziyal, Iraq. He was assigned to Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron (HMLA) - 267, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Camp Pendleton, California. Died on April 4, 2003.

Cpl. Erik H. Silva, 22, Holtville, California.
Killed in action in Iraq. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, California. Died on April 3, 2003.

Lance Cpl. Thomas J. Slocum, 22, of Thornton, Colorado.
Killed in action in the vicinity of An Nasiriyah. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Died on March 23, 2003.

Pfc. Brandon C. Smith, 20, of Washington, Arkansas.
Smith died as a result of enemy action in Al Qaim, Iraq. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, California. Died on March 18, 2004.

1st Sgt. Edward Smith, 38, of Chicago, Illinois.
Died in Doha, Qatar as a result of wounds received while engaged with enemy forces in Central Iraq on April 4. He was assigned to FOX Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, California. Died on April 5, 2003.

Lance Cpl. Matthew R. Smith, 20, of Anderson, Indiana.
Smith died in a non-hostile vehicle accident in Kuwait when the HMMWV he was driving as part of a convoy to Camp Coyote in Kuwait struck a parked trailer. He was a reservist assigned to Detachment 1, Communications Company, Headquarters and Service Battalion, 4th Force Service Support Group, Peru, Indiana. Died on May 10, 2003.

Lance Cpl. Jesus A. Suarez Del Solar, 20, of Escondido, California.
Killed in combat. He was assigned to the 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, California. Died on March 27, 2003.

Sgt. Kirk Allen Straseskie, 23, of Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.
Drowned in a canal near Al Hillah, Iraq, when he attempted to rescue the crewmembers of a Marine CH-46 helicopter that went down in the canal. Straseskie was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, Camp Pendleton, California. Died on May 19, 2003.

Staff Sgt. Riayan A. Tejeda, 26, of New York, New York.
Killed during combat operations against enemy forces in northeast Baghdad. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, Camp Pendleton, California. Died on April 11, 2003.

Lance Cpl. Jason Andrew Tetrault, 20, Moreno Valley, California.
Died in a vehicle accident in Kuwait. Tetrault was assigned to 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, Twentynine Palms, California. Died on July 9, 2003.

Cpl. David M. Vicente, 25, of Methuen, Massachusetts.
Vicente died due to enemy action near Hit, Iraq. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, California. Died on March 19, 2004.

Staff Sgt. Kendall Damon Waters-Bey, 29, of Baltimore, Maryland.

Killed in a CH-46E helicopter crash on in Kuwait. He was assigned to the Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Corps Air Station, Camp Pendleton, California. Died on March 20, 2003.

Staff Sgt. Aaron Dean White, 27, of Shawnee, Oklahoma.
Died when his CH-46 Sea-Knight helicopter went down in the Shatt Al Hillah Canal in Iraq shortly after take-off. The helicopter was conducting a resupply mission in support of civil military operations. He was assigned to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron - 364, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Camp Pendleton, California. Died on May 19, 2003.

Lance Cpl. William W. White, 24, of Brooklyn, New York.
Killed in a non-hostile vehicle accident in Iraq. He was assigned to the 3rd Amphibious Assault Battalion, 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton,

California. Died on March 29, 2003.

Lance Cpl. Michael J. Williams, 31, of Phoenix, Arizona.
Killed in action on the outskirts of An Nasiriyah. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Died on March 23, 2003.

Source: http://www.fallenheroesmemorial.com/oif/branch.html#Marine

___________________________

MSgt USMC
0369/8541/8531

"He's a good enough fellow... but I fear he may be another Alcibiades."

From the cowardice that dares not face new truths,
From laziness that is content with half truths,
From the arrogance that thinks it knows all truth,
Good Lord, deliver me.
- KENYAN PRAYER

Name : MICHAEL T PENA
Service : MARINE CORPS
Service Component : REGULAR
Pay Grade : E-5
Military Specialty : 0311
Home of Record : Unknown

Died in Eritrea Asmara, while on assignment with the New Embassy Construction Program. Go in peace my Combat in Arms Brother. Gy "C">

Troy's family is having a memorial service for him at the Veterans
Cemetery in Riverside, California. This is near March AFB. The service is
at 2:00 pm this Sunday (March 28, 2004) with a Marine Honor Guard.

On Thursday, Lance Cpl. Jeffrey Burgess, 20, a military policeman assigned to Marine Wing Support Squadron 373 at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station, was killed by shrapnel near Fallujah on March 25th, according to the military. He was from Plymouth, Mass., south of Boston.

"Usually, it's just a name and picture on the TV, but when it hits as close to home as Jeff was, it's really tough and sad," said Jonathan Porter, Burgess' band director at Plymouth South High School, where he graduated in June 2001.

Burgess joined the Marines in January 2002, military records show. A single man, he is survived by his parents and an older sister. They could not be reached for comment.

He left for Iraq on Feb. 12, said Sgt. Richard Kulleck, a Miramar spokesman.

Porter said his former student "was always there and very helpful. He was dedicated to whatever he was doing, and he never backed off from a challenge."

Burgess played percussion instruments in the band. And along with several other school band members, Porter said, Burgess played in a group called Smash, which utilized nontraditional musical "instruments" – garbage cans, metal lids, brooms and other household items.

While a senior, Burgess played drums in the combined high school marching and concert bands, Porter said, often carrying a set of four drums, called a "quad," while marching at football games and parades.

"That took some stamina to walk a 3-mile parade (with the drums)," Porter said.

He recalled Burgess telling him he was thinking about entering the armed services rather than going to college after graduation.

"He felt lost about choosing a college or a career because he wanted to experience life a little bit," Porter said.

The Marines also announced the death Thursday of Lance Cpl. James Casper, a 20-year-old driver from Coolidge, Tex. He died on March 25th in a noncombat incident at Al-Asad Air Base in western Iraq, the Marine Corps said.

Casper was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment – an artillery unit – at Camp Pendleton.

He joined the Marines on Aug. 6, 2001, and was in boot camp when terrorists struck New York and Washington on Sept. 11. He served in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom and earned a Combat Action Ribbon.

Efforts to contact his relatives were unsuccessful.

S/F Brothers! may you all rest in peace!

There are so many... My heart breaks for everyone of them and their families.

Rest in peace....

Semper Fi

Go easy Bro's... Rest in Peace

Semper Fi Marines...
DDB

R.I.P to all who have lost their lives.Thank you for the sacrifices you all have made.

The Department of Defense announced today the death of two Marines who
were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Pfc. Leroy Sandoval Jr., 21, of Houston, Texas, died March 26, due to
hostile fire in the Al Anbar Province, Iraq. He was assigned to 2nd
Battalion, 1st
Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp
Pendleton, California.

Master Sgt. Timothy Toney, 37, of Manhattan, N.Y., died March 27, due
to a non-combat related incident at Camp Wolverine, Kuwait. He was assigned
to
Headquarters Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force,
Camp
Pendleton, California. His death is under investigation

Lance Cpl. William J. Wiscowiche, 20, of Victorville, Calif., died March 30, due to enemy action in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. He was assigned to 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

April 03,2004
Sarah Ovaska
The Monitor

EDINBURG, Texas — Dustin Sekula had a free ticket to college.

The high school senior had the highest grades in Edinburg North High School when he graduated last year, but he turned down an agriculture scholarship.

"Give it to somebody that needs it," he told his FFA teacher, Dan de la Viña.

Sekula had his own plan.

He was joining the U.S. Marine Corps immediately after graduation and would have college paid for once he finished his tour. He left for boot camp in June.

"I really didn’t want him to go. I tried talking to him about it," de la Viña said Friday afternoon at the high school. "I wanted him to go to school, college, as any teacher wants for his kids."

Just three months after he came to Iraq with the 1st Military Division, Sekula, 18, was killed Thursday by "enemy action" in the Al Anbar province — which includes Fallujah and Ramadi in the hostile Sunni Triangle, according to his family, friends and military reports. Sekula is the first person from Hidalgo County to die in the Iraq war.

He is survived by his parents, Dan and Lisa Sekula, older sister Danielle and younger brother Derek. American flags were at half-staff at both his Edinburg home and Edinburg North High School on Friday afternoon.

Family members, grieving after they received the news late Thursday night, referred reporters to the pastor at the family’s church, Robert Robinson of Trinity Worship Center.

Two Marines came to the Sekula house Thursday night to tell the family about Dustin Sekula’s death, Robinson said.

Dan Sekula knew that the Marines had horrible news about his son, Robinson said.

"When he saw those guys in the blue uniforms, he knew," Robinson said.

Robinson said that Dustin Sekula was active in the Pharr church, particulary in the children’s church program where his parents also taught.

Before leaving for Iraq, Sekula talked to the children at church about being a Marine.

"The kids let him know they prayed for him every Sunday," Robinson said.

After Sekula graduated from his training, Edinburg North principal Mario Salinas said the young Marine came to the school to visit with all of his former teachers.

Salinas recalls seeing him in the cafeteria, wearing his Marine uniform and telling him how happy he was that his mother and father attended his graduation ceremony.

"He was so glad his daddy and mommy had gone," Salinas said. "He was just so proud."

For those who knew him, Sekula was a jack-of-all trades when it came to running a farm and ranching, but roping steers had a special place in his heart.

"I just wish he was still here to do it," said Kyle Lambert, 17, a junior at Edinburg North who took classes with Sekula and was a close friend. Sekula spent a great deal of time on a family farm in McCook as well as a family ranch.

While a student last year at Edinburg North, Sekula would use his lunch period to pratice roping on a fake steer. Sekula was also an active member of FFA while in high school.

Lambert and Joe Casas, 18, said that when Sekula joined the Marines, he didn’t anticipate being sent to Iraq.

Just before leaving for Iraq, Sekula had called the pair, who were on their way to eat dinner with two other mutual friends.

The friends talked on the phone for a while and then Sekula paused, Lambert said.

"All of a sudden, he said, ‘I’m going to get shipped off,’ " Lambert recalled about the conversation.

After a silence, Casas remarked quietly, "That’s the last time we’d talked to him."

###

The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of two Marines who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Lance Cpl. Aric J. Barr, 22, of Allegheny, Pa, died April 3, due to injuries received from enemy action in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif. For further information related to Barr, contact Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms Public Affairs Office at (760) 830-5472.

Pfc. Geoffery S. Morris, 19, of Gurnee, Ill, died April 4, due to injuries received from hostile fire in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif. For further information related to Morris, contact the Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton Public Affairs Office at (760) 725-5044.

Obviously not OIF related, but would like include a great American and a Marine's Marine. Gen Ray Davis, who passed away back in Sep. I just heard about it from a friend of mine. I had the privilage and honor of working with Gen. Davis when he was the Chairman of the Korean War Veterans Memorial Advisory Board and I was shooting a fundraising video for them.

He was a true hero and will be missed.

http://www.combatwife.net/memgendavis.htm

Rest in Peace, General...

PLYMOUTH, Mass. -- A Plymouth family laid their fallen soldier to rest Monday, 10 days after he was killed in Iraq.

NewsCenter 5's Gail Huff reported that Lance Cpl. Jeffrey Burgess, 20, was killed near Fallujah when his van was hit by a roadside bomb on March 25.

At his funeral Monday, his mother read a letter to him.

"I want you to know that you touched so many of us in so many ways, in the short time you were with us. Though I'll never be the same, we'll be together someday in heaven," said Michelle Shea.

Plymouth firefighters, Massachusetts State Police, Marines and dignitaries, including the governor, paid their respects.

"He wanted to be a role model, wanted to help others, wanted others ... He wanted to be the best -- that's why he joined the Marines," said Burgess' girlfriend, Lauren Pullia.

Family and friends talked about the boy who wanted to be a policeman, the teen who played the drums, and the man who became a United States Marine.

Burgess was buried in the National Cemetery in Bourne.

"When we think about Jeff, as we will, we will remember a proud Marine who fought for us to live the lives we want to live," said Pullia.

Burgess was the second Marine from Massachusetts to die in Sunni Triangle violence within the past month.

Cpl. David Vicente, of Methuen, Mass., was killed in March.

Chicago Sun-Times
April 6, 2004

When Geoffrey Morris decided to go into the military, he looked at the Army, the Navy and the Air Force.

But they weren't for him. "I want to be a Marine," he told his father.

It was a good fit.

"What set him apart from other kids was he was always meticulous," his dad Kirk said. "He would get mad at the other kids for leaving the dishes at the table or not wrapping up the Nintendo the right way, and the Marines is a meticulous organization."

Morris, 19, was killed in action Sunday in the tense Iraqi province of Anbar. Morris did not have details about the death of his son, a machine gunner assigned to 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Expeditionary Force. All the military had told him, he said, was that his son was in a Humvee that was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade. Anbar, where the city of Fallujah is located, has been the site of intense violence recently, including last week when four American civilians were killed and their bodies mutilated by mobs.

''As I understand it, he was protecting his comrades, doing his duty,'' Morris said. He said three other troops also in the Humvee were not injured. Officials have not released details about Geoffrey Morris' death.

Morris said his son firmly believed in his mission. ''It meant a lot to him to be a defender of his country, but also the defender of the right of the Iraqi people to choose their government and how they want to live,'' he said.

When the two last talked about a week ago, the younger Morris once again told his father about his duty. ''He said, 'As soon as they stop killing each other, stop killing us, we're out of here. But we're not leaving until the job is done.'

''He did not want to die but he said many times and in letters . . . 'If I do die, Dad, I want you to know that I am right with God and everything will be OK.' ''

Geoffrey had joined the Marines last June, right after graduating from Warren Township High School, where he had played football for three years.

In October, he returned to his old school with a Marine recruiter to tell students how happy he was with his choice.

"The Marines fit him to a T," said his stepmother, Vickie Morris. "He didn't know quite what to do with his life and it really worked for him. They did a really good job of helping him become a man. He was an unlucky one in a very dangerous job."

Geoffrey had talked to some of his five brothers and sisters over the telephone just last Wednesday. "They laughed a lot on the phone, they were so grateful to hear that he was safe," Vickie Morris said. "So it came as quite a shock when the three Marines came to our door."

The doorbell rang at 12:30 a.m. Monday, seven hours after Geoffrey had been reported killed.

"He had a respect for duty," his father said. "What he believed was right, he did. And he didn't quit until it was done to his standards."

###

22, of Eden Prarie, Minn., died April 4 due to injuries received from hostile fire in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. He was assigned to 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

For further information related to this release, contact the Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton Public Affairs Office at (760) 725-5044.

4/7/2004

(North Providence, R.I., AP) -- A marine from North Providence was killed in Iraq this week.

Twenty-one-year-old Lance Corporal Matthew Serio was killed near Fallujah on Monday after his unit arrived to help quell an uprising in the unsettled city. He was a member of the First Battalion, Fifth Marines, Third Platoon, Charlie Company.

Serio joined the Marines immediately after graduating from North Providence High School in 2001. His family says his unit was one of the first into Iraq. They say serving as a Marine was his dream.

Serio's older brother, A-J, is serving in the Navy. His parents are in North Providence and his younger brother is a student at a New Hampshire college.

###

Nineteen-year-old Marine from Bradenton killed in Iraq

Associated Press
4/7/2004

BRADENTON, Fla. - A 19-year-old U.S. Marine from Bradenton who had been in Iraq for less than two months was killed in fighting this week, his mother said.

Christopher Cobb, a member of the Camp Pendleton, Calif.-based 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, was sent to Iraq on Feb. 9, his mother, Sheila Cobb said. She was informed of her son's death Tuesday.

Details of his death were not immediately available, but the Department of Defense said 12 Marines were killed Tuesday in a fierce battle Tuesday with insurgents in the city of Ramadi.

The last time Sheila Cobb heard from her son, he was about 20 miles from Fallujah, where an organized insurgency against coalition forces began over the weekend.

"He called from a satellite phone and said, 'Mom, I'm going to try and call you once a week.' But I didn't hear nothing all week from him, at all," Cobb told WFLA-TV in Tampa. Cobb's phone rang unanswered Wednesday morning.

Christopher Cobb graduated from Bayshore High School in May and joined the Marines in June.

While she waited for her son's return, Sheila Cobb made ribbon badges for other military mothers.

She told the Bradenton Herald earlier this year that she had to come to terms with the idea that her son might be sent to Iraq, but thought his young age and little time in the service might have spared him from going to war.

"I really didn't think they were going to send him over there," she said. "But I support him, and I understand that he's got to do what he's got to do to defend his country."

###

PITTSBURGH (AP) - A 22-year-old Marine rifleman from western Pennsylvania was killed by enemy fire in the Al Anbar province of Iraq, according to military authorities.

Lance Cpl. Aric J. Barr, of Allegheny, Pa., died Friday in the same province west of Baghdad where four American security employees died in an ambush two days earlier and Iraqi civilians dragged their bodies through the streets.

Military authorities did not provide details about how Barr was killed. The province includes Fallujah and Ramadi in the Sunni Triangle, where resistance to American troops has been fiercest.

Barr’s family declined comment. A neighbor said Anthony and Lisa Barr have two other sons stationed overseas in the military. Three American flags were draped in front of their modest home on a small side street in the Hazelwood section of Pittsburgh.

Aric Barr graduated from South Vo-Tech High School in 1999 and entered the military on Dec. 27, 2000. He was promoted to corporal a year later.

Barr was a rifleman with the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. He was trained and stationed at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, Calif.

Barr, who was not married and had no children, had been serving in Iraq since mid-February.

HOBART, Wis. — Ryan Jerabek, 18, a 2003 Pulaski High School graduate serving with the U.S. Marine Corps, was killed Tuesday in Iraq, his parents said Wednesday.

Jerabek is the son of Ken and Rita Jerabek of Hobart.

Marines were engaged in heavy fighting Tuesday in Fallujah, where four American contractors were killed and mutilated last week. Late Tuesday, The Associated Press reported as many as 12 Marines were killed in the battle along with two coalition soldiers and 66 Iraqis.

Cpl. Jesse Thiry of Casco also was killed Tuesday after being in the volatile country less than a month. Thiry volunteered for duty in Iraq, leaving behind a stateside training assignment with the U.S. Marine Corps.

Thiry’s parents, Randy and Sue, were told the 23-year-old Marine was killed in action in Fallujah.

“He wanted to serve his country and protect his country,” said Sue Thiry, Jesse’s stepmother. “He wanted to fight for his country. So he asked for a transfer.”

LCpl Shane Lee GOLDMAN, 19, of Orange, Texas; killed Monday, 05 April, in Fallujah; assigned to 1st Bn, 5th Marines; 1stMarDiv, Camp Pendleton, CA.

Truth Is A Rare Commodity To Be Kept Hidden From Others
Huss Cutting Not An Option

Combat engineer killed in Iraq

By: YVETTE URREA - Staff Writer

CAMP PENDLETON ---- Two Camp Pendleton Marines killed Sunday and Monday in Iraq were identified Tuesday.

Cpl. Tyler Richard Fey, 22, of Eden Prairie, Minn., was killed in hostile fire Sunday in Al Anbar province, Marine officials said Tuesday. Fey was assigned to the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force.

The Associated Press also reported that Camp Pendleton Marine Shane Lee Goldman, 19, of southeast Texas, was killed Monday while on patrol in the turbulent city of Fallujah, where a mob killed four Americans and mutilated their bodies last week. Camp Pendleton and Department of Defense officials did not confirm the name but the Goldman family has said it was notified Tuesday of his death.


Goldman was with the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton, said his cousin James Davis.

"He loved the Marines. Our whole family is full of Marines. He just wanted to carry out the family tradition," Davis said of Goldman, who would have turned 20 next week. "He didn't have any reservations about what he was going to do. He said, 'Hey it is my job. That is what I am going to do.' "

Goldman, who joined the Marines in 2002, became engaged to his girlfriend a few months ago, said Davis. It was his second stint in Iraq. After the liberation of Baghdad, his unit had returned to the United States before deploying again.

Fey, who grew up in Minnesota, graduated from Academy of Holy Angels in Richfield, Minn. He joined the Marine Corps right after graduation in 2000, his cousin Char Loving said Tuesday.

"He was very proud of his decision to enlist as a combat engineer," Loving said. "This was his second tour of duty. He was one of eight killed this last weekend (in Iraq)."

Loving said the family was informed that he died at 3:27 a.m. Iraq time.

Marine officials said Fey earned several awards in his military career, including the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.

Loving described her cousin as "a kind, sweet kid." He was unmarried and is survived by his parents Rich and Cheryl Fey and an older brother Ryan Fey, Loving said.

Anbar, the province where Fallujah is situated, has been a violent hot spot in recent weeks.

Camp Pendleton Marine Pfc. Geoffrey S. Morris, 19, of Gunee, Ill., was also killed Sunday due to "enemy action." Morris and Fey were in the same division but different units.

Sunday's battles were an early morning ambush by *****e militia on American forces that ended with eight U.S. military and at least 30 Iraqis killed, according to the Associated Press. Maj. Gen. Martin Dempsey, commander of the U.S. forces in Baghdad, called it the biggest battle since the fall of Baghdad.

The violence continued Monday and Tuesday with fierce battles. With Tuesday's Marine casualties reported to be as many as a dozen, the three-day total could be as high as about 30 Americans and more than 130 Iraqis killed, according to the Associated Press.

DoD Identifies Marine Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the death of five Marines who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Pfc. Christopher R. Cobb, 19, of Bradenton, Fla.

Pfc. Ryan M. Jerabek, 18, of Oneida, Wis.

Pfc. Moises A. Langhorst, 19, of Moose Lake, Minn.

Lance Cpl. Travis J. Layfield, 19, of Fremont, Calif.

Pfc. Langhorst died April 5; all others died April 6.

All died due to hostile fire in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. They were assigned to 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

For further information related to this release, contact the Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton Public Affairs Office at (760) 725-5044.

We shall not Forget you Marines Never Forget

Prayers to these Marines their Fellow Marines and most of all thier families.

Stedwoo

DoD Identifies Marine Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Pfc. Deryk L. Hallal, 24, of Indianapolis, Ind., died April 6, due to hostile fire in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

For further information related to this release, contact the Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton Public Affairs Office at (760) 725-5044.

We will remember you always, Marines Never Forget.

Prayers to these Marines, their Fellow Marines and most of all their families.

Stedwoo

By Henry K. Lee,
SF Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, April 8, 2004

Kyle Crowley, 18, of San Ramon was proud to be a U.S. Marine and shipped off to Iraq in February despite his father's misgivings.

Travis Layfield, 19, of Fremont was similarly proud to serve his country as a Marine and often reassured his family that everything would turn out fine.

But the families of the two young men -- both of whom graduated from high school last year -- received the dreaded news at their homes just hours apart on Tuesday night.

Pfc. Crowley died earlier that day in a fierce gunbattle east of Ramadi. Lance Cpl. Layfield died in hostile fire in the Anbar province, U.S. military officials said.

Crowley and Layfield were the second and third Bay Area casualties in recent days. Earlier this week, Army Spc. Casey Sheehan of Vacaville died in a battle with *****e militia near Baghdad.

"I'm just really proud of Kyle and his achievements," Mark Crowley, 46, said of his son Wednesday. "I'm really saddened by the loss of his young life and that his blood was spilled on foreign soil."

Layfield's sister, Tiffany Bolton, 31, of Sunnyvale said Wednesday night: "He had a big heart. He was very outgoing. He always thought of others before himself."

Friends, teachers and relatives of Crowley mourned the loss of the vibrant young man who loved being a Marine. He attended California High School in San Ramon for 3 1/2 years before graduating from nearby Del Amigo High School, an alternative school, last spring.

In October, he returned to California High in full uniform to help recruit, addressing people respectfully with "No sir'' or "Yes sir."

"He was proud to wear his uniform and so excited about being a Marine," said Mark Corti, California High principal. "I saw the growth in him, the maturity, the self-confidence, self-esteem. He was just a new young man. He was so proud that he had gone through that training."

Mark Crowley, a U.S. Army veteran, agreed that the Marines had helped transform his son, who had faced troubles before he enlisted.

"Like many other young men, he struggled," said his father, who declined to elaborate. "He grew from a boy to a man pretty quick. The Marines changed him pretty quick. I was pretty much against Kyle joining. I was fearful of his safety."

Besides his father, Kyle Crowley leaves behind his mother, Mary, and sister, Nichole, 20.

"He was very energetic and he was full of life," said his cousin Steve Speights, 18, of San Ramon, a senior at Cal High. "He believed in his mission down to his very bones."

Crowley enjoyed listening to rap music and hanging out with friends, his cousin said.

"I'm very, very sad. We were very close, and it's going to be hard for us to pull out of this," Speights said.

Speights' brother, Adam, 16, said Crowley would visit him while on leave and ask how he was doing in school. "He was one of the nicest people I've ever known," Adam Speights said.

"My grandpa was a Marine, and all he wanted to do was to be a Marine," the younger Speights added. "He wanted to serve his country. I still can't believe it. He was just at my house a month ago."

The 2,230-student California High campus plans to hold a memorial today in honor of Crowley. A candlelight vigil is planned for 9 p.m. Friday at Central Park, 12501 Alcosta Boulevard in San Ramon. "It's sad, because here's an 18-year-old boy that had a bright future and had turned his life around, and now he doesn't have a chance to experience it," Corti said.

In Fremont, Layfield left behind his sister, his mother, Diane; father, John; and brothers Tyler, 17, and Todd, 33. Layfield kept in touch with them regularly by phone and had talked to his mother in recent weeks.

Layfield graduated from Washington High School in Fremont last year and had begun ROTC in junior high. He would have turned 20 next month.

Bolton said her brother had just finished fixing up a 1964 Ford Galaxy before he was deployed. He was assigned to the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force after finishing boot camp at Camp Pendleton (San Diego County).

"He was very proud to be a Marine," his sister said. "Of course we had the fear, but he would reassure us and tell us that everything would be OK."

###

Marines plan tribute for fallen area Marine

NICK MASON
Herald Staff Writer

MANATEE - Former Marines in Manatee County will pay their respects to Marine Christopher Cobb, a Bradenton native killed while serving in Iraq.

The Marine Corps League DeSoto Detachment 588 of Manatee County will recognize Cobb, 19, during its monthly meeting April 19 at the American Legion Kirby Stewart Post 24, 2000 75th St. W.

"The commandant, Tom Johnson, will make some appropriate remarks and then the people there will have a moment of silence," said Jack Carroll, a past commandant and retired chaplain.

Cobb's family will receive notice of that.

"They will be sent a letter indicating we would give recognition of him and of our condolences for their loss," Carroll said.

He and Ken McCoy, the league's adjutant, said league officers and a color guard would attend the Bayshore High School graduate's funeral only if requested by his family.

"We don't push ourselves on the family," McCoy said. "If we are requested to do something, we will. Most of the funeral parlors know to notify us."

The league is a service organization of former Marines with honorable discharges. Detachment 588 has more than 100 members.

Carroll, a Marine who was at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked, sparking America's entry into World War II, was heartbroken to learn of Cobb's death.

"It always devastates me when a Marine is killed. When I read of the 12 killed, it's hard to relate to you just how I feel," he said, referring to the soldiers killed during fierce fighting this week in Iraq. "They are usually in the front of the battle, in the thick of things."

###

Bradenton.com
4/8/2004

Fellow Marines, friends and family of service members shared their thoughts after 19-year-old Bradenton native Marine Pfc. Christopher Cobb was killed Tuesday in Iraq.

"It's very devastating. Our hearts and prayers go out to all the soldiers out there. Every time I turn on the news, my heart drops down to my stomach thinking that could have happened to my son. It's very heart-breaking. I think we need to stay until the job's complete. We can't let resistance take us away from our goal. It takes time."

- Manatee County EMS Lt. David Byington (Brandon), whose son was in Iraq for six months with the Marine Corps

"It almost makes you feel kinda feel guilty because I'm home and they're not. I sympathize with his family. It's real unfortunate."

- Lance Cpl. Derek Foss (Holmes Beach), who served three months in Iraq

"That poor, poor mother. I just feel so bad for her. I just wish there was something I could do. . . . The only consolation we mothers have is that we know that our children love what they're doing, that they're defending their country and they believe in what they're doing over there."

- Kathleen Newman (Bradenton), a mother of a Marine who served in Iraq

"The loss of Marine Pfc. Cobb is a searing reminder to all of us in Bradenton that the war on terrorism is real and in our own backyards. I want young people to honor him. He stepped up and volunteered to make Bradenton and Iraq safer. . . . Pfc. Cobb proved that freedom is not free. I only hope that the American people and the people of Bradenton are worthy of this noble sacrifice."

- Retired U.S. Marine Corps Col. John Saputo (Sarasota)

"It hurts to lose any Marine. . . . The loss of any Marine makes us very sad. It almost seems like it's worse than before. It just seems like there's no way out. We have to stay now. I'm starting to feel really bad for the Iraqi people because so many innocent people are going to die, but you just can't tell the good from the bad anymore."

- U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Kolleen Newman (Bradenton), who served in Iraq

###

Soldier's destiny Through Gurnee man's death, others have lived

BY ANGELA D. SYKORA
The Gurnee Review
STAFF WRITER

Before he was killed in Iraq, before he graduated from Warren Township High School early to enlist in the Marines, before he had given a thought to the direction his life would someday take, an adolescent Geoffrey Morris didn't want to let his teammates down.

It was an important game for the Warren Township Blue Demons youth football league. Morris, who kept dropping the ball when it was passed to him, thought his father, an assistant coach, was crazy for not benching him.

"Dad, I can't do it," he said. But his father knew better and refused to take him out of the game. Fulfilling his own prophecy, Geoffrey dropped two more passes. His father remained confident, though, calling upon him when the outcome of the game hung in the balance.

"He made the catch," Kirk Morris said. "He must've jumped 10 feet in the air."

Lying on the grass, arms outstretched victoriously, the boy was proud, if not amazed at his own will to succeed. The crowd roared and the team embraced their underdog.

Nineteen-year-old Geoffrey, a Gurnee resident for most of his young life, was killed Saturday, April 3 during active duty when his Humvee was struck by a rocket-launched grenade in the Al Anbar province of Iraq. Three fellow soldiers who had been in the vehicle with him were unharmed.

The team player, said Kirk Morris of his son, was just doing his duty as a machine gunner assigned to 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force out of Camp Pendelton, Calif.

It was Geoffrey's responsibility to protect his fellow soldiers and give them time to respond as a unit by immediately returning fire when faced with hostile fire.

"He's a marine's marine," Kirk Morris said. "My son was the only one killed in the attack because he did his duty. He saved three other lives."

Geoffrey Morris, who received the National Defense Service Medal, is the second Lake County resident killed while fighting in Iraq. Uday Singh, a 21-year-old immigrant who lived in Lake Forest, died in battle Dec. 1, 2003, after his tank patrol was attacked in Habbaniyah, Iraq.

The exact purpose of Geoffrey Morris's mission remains classified and cannot be released to the public because it could jeopardize the safety of other Marines, Kirk Morris said. The family has been given certain specifics, though.

News of Geoffrey's death has stunned the community. The family has received calls of support from Marines they don't even know, telling them how proud they are of Geoffrey. Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn also called to express his condolences and to acknowledge that he'd like to attend Geoffrey's funeral once it is planned.

Gurnee Mayor Don Rudny is asking residents to fly their flags at half-staff through Sunday in remembrance of the young man who believed in freeing the Iraqi people from oppression.

"The village will never forget Geoffrey," Rudny stated Monday. "We will make every effort to remember his service to our country.

Geoffrey's alma mater, Warren Township High School, has guidance counselors available to assist students who are having a difficult time dealing with their feelings.

"It is a tragedy," Principal Phil Roffman said Monday.

Geoffrey, who graduated from Warren in January 2003 and completed boot camp that summer, had enlisted in the Marine's delayed entry program at age 17 with his father and stepmother's consent.

"He came to me in early September 2002 and said, 'Dad, I'm not sure about the direction my life is taking,'" Kirk Morris said.

Geoffrey told his father he didn't want them to waste their money on sending him to college if he wasn't fully committed to going. So, father and son sat down to discuss service career options, including the military, though Geoffrey had never indicated a strong interest in it before.

It was not a lifelong dream, said his father, but the Marines seemed to fit with his son's meticulous nature. As a child, Geoffrey once slipped on his father's garden gloves before picking up a garter snake and using it to torment his little sisters in that deviously special way big brothers are notorious for.

Though meticulous and driven, Geoffrey lacked focus, said his father. The Marine Corps took his raw abilities and molded him "into an exceptional human being."

"It was way beyond a father's dream of an ideal son."

Geoffrey was deployed to Iraq in February and urged his family not to be overly concerned, though he knew they would be anyway. He knew the risks going in, said his father. "He knew that he might die."

Geoffrey felt strongly that the United States was doing the right thing by being in Iraq, to fight for the rights of their people and provide them the opportunity to choose their own government as well as the laws they lived under, said his father. Also, "He did not want the battle in the Middle East to come to our shores."

Though he fought to protect himself, his fellow soldiers and the Iraqi citizens, Geoffrey often questioned why violence seemed to be a means to an end in Iraq, why people of different religions could not tolerate each other for the greater good.

"He said, 'I don't get these people. It's better to negotiate than to die --- but we're not backing down,'" said his father.

"The problem is not religion. The problem is the fanatical practice of religion," Kirk Morris said. "We've got to be able to live together. These are the conversations we had."

The last time father and son spoke was a week before his death. As if he were calling from a friend's house or the mall and not a war-torn country, the conversation began as it often did with Geoffrey teasing, "Hey dad! What's up?" Some families were lucky if they spoke to their military children once every three weeks, but Geoffrey had more access to a telephone because his unit returned to a base almost nightly. "I was blessed that way," said his father.

Just three days before his death, Kirk Morris missed a call from his son by a mere 10 minutes, though his daughter, Geoffrey's sister, got to speak with him one last time. The family received the news of Geoffrey's death on Sunday, the day after he was killed in the attack. The timing chilled his family. Geoffrey's natural mother had passed away eight years ago from a heart attack, his father noted.

"She passed away on the Saturday before Palm Sunday at 5:17 p.m. Geoff passed away on the Saturday before Palm Sunday at 5:40 p.m."

Though his and his family's lives have been forever changed by Geoffrey's death, Kirk Morris has not pointed a bitter finger toward President George W. Bush and the U.S. government, as some families of fallen soldiers have.

The loss of their son is "tremendous and horrific," Morris said, but American citizens need to have some faith in their government and trust officials have the country's best interests in mind. If you don't agree, Morris said, exercise your right to vote for someone else, but "let the men in the field fight the battle they have to fight."

Kirk Morris said his feelings about the war in Iraq have not changed now that his son his dead. He still believes in the cause, and knows his son does, too. Though it is certainly understandable for grief-stricken parents to harbor negative feelings about the government and our military's purpose in the Middle East when their children don't return home alive, Morris said, it won't bring their loved ones back.

"This is a destiny set in motion by decisions our children made."

Angela D. Sykora can be reached at sykora@pioneerlocal.com.

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