Marine Lance Cpl. Omar G. Roebuck

Died December 22, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

23 year old Omar Roebuck, of Moreno Valley, Calif.; assigned to 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Dec. 22, as a result of a noncombat-related incident in Camp Bastion, Afghanistan.

‘My son continues to shine even in death’

The Associated Press

Omar Roebuck, who grew up in a house with a single father, loved boxing, stunt bikes and his family, including a next door neighbor he called “Mom.”

“Omar was wonderful, funny, smart,” said neighbor Connie Tatum. “He always had a smile on his face. He loved my enchiladas. He was like another son to me.”

Tatum, who has three sons of her own with her husband, Pat, said she tried to discourage Roebuck from enlisting in 2008. But he told her, “ ‘Mom, the Marine Corps will give me an education and a better life.’ And he loved it.”

Roebuck, of Moreno Valley, Calif., died Dec. 22 in Helmand province, Afghanistan. Roebuck’s father said the 23-year-old Marine, a diesel mechanic, was crushed while working on a new assault tank.

“This is so hard,” said John Roebuck, 54. “The only way to look at it is that God wanted Omar in his presence.”

Omar Roebuck enlisted in November 2008 and was promoted to lance corporal June 2. He was assigned to Camp Lejeune, N.C.

“My son continues to shine even in death,” John Roebuck said. “I don’t have the words to say how proud I am of him.”

Roebuck is survived by his father and sister, Eboni, 27.

Marine Lance Cpl. Franklin A. Sweger

Died December 16, 2004 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

24 year old Franklin Sweger, of San Antonio; assigned to 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Base Hawaii; killed Dec. 16 by enemy action in Anbar province, Iraq.

San Antonio Marine killed in Iraq

Associated Press

SAN ANTONIO — A San Antonio Marine who loved science and dreamed of getting married and raising a family has been killed in Iraq, his family confirmed Saturday.

Lance Cpl. Franklin A. Sweger, 24, died Thursday as a result of enemy action in Iraq’s Anbar province, the Defense Department said.

He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Marine Corps Base Hawaii.

Sweger was depressed when he first arrived in Iraq three or four months ago, said his mother, Susie Hernandez. But he was more upbeat when he last talked to them on the phone two weeks ago.

“Everything’s OK mom, don’t worry about me,” she recalled him saying. “I think I’m going to make it.”

Hernandez said her son joined the Marines in the spring of 2001 after having trouble in his first semester at Lamar University. He wanted to go back to school to study chemistry after completing his military obligations, she said.

“He loved science,” she told The Associated Press. “He studied chemistry and everything on his own since he was little. He wrote down all the definitions for everything.”

Sweger was devoted to his family and looked forward to starting one of his own, Hernandez said. In addition to his mother, he is survived by his stepfather, his father and stepmother, two stepbrothers and many aunts and uncles.

“He was always making everybody laugh,” Hernandez said. “He loved everybody. He was just so full of love and laughter and joy.”

Marine Lance Cpl. Jeffery S. Blanton

Died December 12, 2004 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

23 year old Jeffery Blanton, of Fayetteville, Ga.; assigned to 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Base Hawaii; killed Dec. 12 by enemy action in Anbar province, Iraq.

Georgia Marine killed in Iraq two days after leaving hospital

Associated Press

SENOIA, Ga. — A Marine from Georgia was killed over the weekend in Iraq after returning to the battlefield two days after being released from a hospital where he was treated for an earlier gunshot wound, his aunt said Tuesday.

“He lost three toes and had an opportunity to come home, but he would not,” Sandra Blanton said of her nephew, Lance Cpl. Jeffery Blanton. “He wanted to stay. He didn’t want to give up his career with them.”

Blanton, 23, of Fayetteville, was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, based at Marine Corps Base Hawaii at Kaneohe Bay.

His aunt said the Marines provided details to his family Sunday night. She said they were told he was doing a ground sweep with other soldiers when he was shot to death. She said he had been released Friday from a hospital in Iraq after having previously been wounded by gunfire.

He was one of seven Marines killed Sunday in two separate incidents in Iraq’s Anbar province, which encompasses the battleground cities of Fallujah and Ramadi.

Blanton had been in the Marines for three years and wanted to make a career of it, his aunt said. His wife, Amber, also serves in the Marines and was in Afghanistan at the time of Jeffrey’s death, the aunt said.

Jeffrey Blanton grew up in Senoia, in Coweta County, southwest of Atlanta. While in high school, he enjoyed football and baseball, his aunt said.

“He was very happy about being in the military,” his aunt told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. “He had a lot of pride for the uniform that he wore.”

Marine killed in Iraq laid to rest

Associated Press

MARIETTA, Ga. — U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey joined about 100 other mourners Tuesday at a graveside service at the Marietta National Cemetery for a Georgia Marine who was killed in Iraq.

Lance Cpl. Jeffery Blanton, 23, was killed in action in Fallujah on Dec. 12, just two days after being released from the hospital for another injury.

Blanton’s wife, Amber, and mother, Tracie Botts, were among family members attending the service. Local residents also said they felt a need to pay their respects even though they did not know Blanton.

Fred Duncan of Marietta, who served in the Marines from 1982 to 1986, said that while he did not know Blanton, he felt a kinship.

“The Marine Corps is a brotherhood,” Duncan said. “Once a Marine, always a Marine.”

Absent from the service were Blanton’s father and stepmother, Steven and Donna Blanton of Senoia, who had previously said they would not attend the funeral because Blanton wanted his son to be buried in Fayette County.

Blanton was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.

The Cobb County native grew up in Senoia in Coweta County southwest of Atlanta. He later moved back to Cobb to be closer to his mother and attended Marietta High School, where he played football and baseball.

Blanton enlisted in the Marines in 2002 and had been stationed in Fallujah for the last two months.

He and his wife met while both were stationed in Hawaii, he in the Marine Corps and she in the Army. The couple married on Feb. 29, 2003. Earlier this year, Blanton was called for duty in Iraq while she was sent to Afghanistan.

Marine Lance Cpl. Jonathan A. Taylor

Died December 1, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

22 year old Jonathan Taylor, of Jacksonville, Fla.; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Dec. 1 in Garmsir district, Afghanistan, while supporting combat operations.

Joining Marines was his goal from childhood on

The Associated Press

Jonathan Taylor started talking about joining the Marine Corps when he was just 11.

At 13, he wasn’t quite old enough — so he joined the Naval Sea Cadets Corps. He was highly motivated, said Lt. Cmdr. June Tillett, who mentored Taylor in the program.

“I’ve gone through thousands of cadets, and he was in my top five,” she said. “I feel like I’ve lost a son.”

Taylor, 22, of Jacksonville, Fla., was killed Dec. 1 in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to Camp Lejeune, N.C. He graduated from Wolfson High School and attended The Citadel, a military college in South Carolina, before enlisting after a year there.

Taylor loved the Florida Gators and enjoyed politics and history, according to an obituary posted online. He last spoke to his family the day before Thanksgiving to get an update on his favorite team and chat with his three sisters.

“He brought so much light to the family,” said sister MacKenzie, 15. “If you saw him, you’d smile.”

Friends and family said Taylor excelled in Junior ROTC activities as a youngster and knew what it meant to serve.

“Jonathan was one of those idealists,” said James Miller, Taylor’s high school history teacher. “He understood why we started this country. He got the sacrifices behind this country.”

Marine Lance Cpl. Nicholas J. Hand

Died November 22, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

20 year old Nicholas Hand, of Kansas City, Mo.; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Nov. 22 in Garmsir, Afghanistan, while supporting combat operations.

‘A good Marine, but a better brother’

The Associated Press

Nicholas J. Hand was always playing the role of older brother, whether he was marshalling his nine siblings to do chores at home in Kansas City, Mo., or leading his squad in Afghanistan.

“He was good at encouraging people and motivating them without being harsh at it,” said his brother, Brandon.

He said Nicholas was patriotic as a student and used to write quotes from military leaders and the Founding Fathers on his whiteboard.

Hand graduated early from Oak Park High School to join the Marines at 17.

In early November, Hand visited home, where he often ended up roughhousing with his brothers. Three weeks later, on Nov. 22, the 20-year-old was killed by small arms fire in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to Camp Lejeune, N.C., and previously served in Iraq.

“He had his biological family, and he had his Marine family,” said his mother, Dawn. “You watched his face light up, and you knew that in your heart he was with his family there.”

She called Hand “a socialite” who made time for everyone in his large family, who is remembering him as “a good Marine, but a better brother.”

Marine Lance Cpl. David R. Baker

Died October 20, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

22 year old David Baker, of Painesville, Ohio; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died Oct. 20 while supporting combat operations in Nawa district, Afghanistan.

Pendleton Marine dies in Afghanistan

Staff report

A California-based Marine was killed after a roadside-bomb blast Tuesday in Afghanistan, according to reports.

Lance Cpl. David R. Baker, 22, of Painesville, Ohio, died during a foot patrol in Helmand province. A mortarman, he was assigned to 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, out of Camp Pendleton.

Baker enlisted in August 2006, shortly after he graduated from Riverside High School in Painesville Township, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. His unit was scheduled to return to California in late November, the newspaper reported.

“He was fighting,” his father, Mark, told the Plain Dealer. “He was fighting every day. He was the guy who always volunteered to be point.”

Mark Baker told a Cleveland TV station that his son was planning to go to school after returning from his tour this fall.

“He had a very quiet demeanor very much in the background — kind of shy. He went from being a shy insecure homesick kid to, I mean, my son’s a hero,” his father told Fox 8.

Baker will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery, his family said.

Marine Lance Cpl. Jeremy W. Burris

Died October 8, 2007 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

22 year old Jeremy Burris, of Tacoma, Wash.; assigned to 1st Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died Oct. 8 while conducting combat operations in Qaim, Iraq.

Marine from southeast Texas killed in Iraq

The Associated Press

LIBERTY, Texas — A Marine from southeast Texas who was killed in Iraq was remembered by family members and friends as a man of great faith who leaves behind six younger siblings.

Lance Cpl. Jeremy W. Burris, 22, was killed Monday while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, the Department of Defense said.

Brent Burris said Tuesday that his son was driving a patrol vehicle, accompanied by two other Marines, when they hit an explosive device hidden in the road.

He survived the initial blast and helped get the wounded Marines out of the damaged vehicle, his father said. But when he returned to the vehicle to get some equipment, a second explosive detonated and he was killed instantly, Brent Burris said.

Brent Burris said his son had lived in Liberty, about 40 miles northeast of Houston, since he was 12. After he finished home-schooling, Jeremy Burris moved to Tacoma, Wash., to participate in a Christian discipleship program. The military listed his hometown as Tacoma.

Jeremy Burris attended the non-denominational Cornerstone Church in Liberty, where he led praise and worship sessions for the youth group and was a guitar player during the main services.

“He was a precious young man who touched many lives,” pastor Mike Glazener said.

Burris stayed in Washington for almost two years before enlisting in the Marine Corps about 1 1/2 years ago, his family said.

Burris was assigned to 1st Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Marine Lance Cpl. Ralph J. Fabbri

Died September 28, 2010 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

20 year old Ralph Fabbri, of Gallitzin, Pa.; assigned to Headquarters Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died Sept. 28 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

Central Pennsylvania park named for Marine killed overseas

The Associated Press

GALLITZIN, Pa. — A Marine killed in Afghanistan last year has been honored by hometown officials who renamed a park after him.

Portage Street Park in Gallitzin was renamed Fabbri Park on Wednesday, the one-year anniversary of Lance Cpl. Ralph Fabbri’s death. Fabbri was a combat photographer stationed at Camp Pendleton, Calif., when he was killed in combat.

The park now has a new sign featuring Fabbri’s name, a picture of an American flag, the Marine Corps logo and a picture of Fabbri holding his camera.

Gallitzin is about 65 miles east of Pittsburgh. Fabbri was a 2008 graduate of nearby Penn Cambria High School.

Fabbri’s father says he was “proud of him being a Marine.”

Marine Lance Cpl. John J. Malone

Died September 24, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

24 year old John Malone, of Yonkers, N.Y.; assigned to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Fore, based out of Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay; died Sept. 24 while supporting combat operations in Delaram, Afghanistan.

Local Marine killed in Afghanistan

By Hannan Adely and Hoa Nguyen

The (Westchester, N.Y.) Journal News

A 24-year-old Marine killed in action in Afghanistan on Thursday was a Gorton High School graduate and former Mahopac resident who “would light up the room,” family and friends said.

Lance Cpl. John J. Malone, who grew up in Mahopac before moving to Yonkers to attend high school, died of gunshot wounds while on patrol in Afghanistan, according to family and friends who said they were notified late Thursday. The Pentagon said he died in Farah province, Afghanistan.

Malone, a young man who loved music, often wore a smile on his face and was committed to his family and serving his country, had a way about him that earned many friends.

“John is a great guy,” said Zahara Majeed, 21, of Yonkers, a friend who knew Malone when he and his sister attended Gorton. “You would never have a bad day because he would always make you smile.”

Malone, who after graduation worked at the Pathmark store on Central Avenue and later enlisted, was proud of his military service and the opportunities that came with being in the Marines, friends said.

“He loved it,” Majeed said. “It changed him. He got to see the world, something that he was never going to do if he never got into the military.”

But most of all, Malone, who last year served in Iraq, wanted to help protect his country and family, friends said.

“He had family in the Marines, so what he said was, ‘Basically, they’re trying to kill my family,’ and he wanted to go and protect people he loved and what not — the country and everything,” said Josh Blumenstetter, 24, a friend who knew Malone when he lived in Mahopac.

Malone had come to Mahopac to live with his grandmother, and, despite being new to the area, he fit in easily, said Charles Blumenstetter, Josh’s father.

“He was one of the most popular guys in town. Everybody loved him,” Charles Blumenstetter said. “He was just a polite young man and very friendly, and all I can say is I was talking to one of the kids this morning and they’re all very upset. They said John would just light up the room.”

On Tuesday, Josh Blumenstetter got an e-mail from Malone saying he had had a lot of close calls while serving in Afghanistan and was anxious to come home. He was due to come home in several weeks.

“When he was in Iraq, it seemed like he felt a lot more safe and everything seemed better,” he said.

Then, Blumenstetter got a text message from Malone’s brother Darryl at 5:15 p.m. Thursday saying, “John’s gone.”

Malone was a member of the 2nd Battalion , 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, based at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay.

Marco Kilcawley, 22, of Columbia, S.C., served in the same company as Malone in Afghanistan but was sent back to Hawaii a couple of months ago for medical reasons.

“We went to Iraq together. We went to Afghanistan together,” Kilcawley said. “He was an all-around good Marine. He made everyone happy, even when we were around the field cold and miserable.”

During his free time, Malone would listen to songs that he had written and produced, and enjoyed hanging out with his friends, Kilcawley said. Like his friends in the company, he was torn over whether to quit the military or sign up for another tour, Kilcawley said. This last tour in Afghanistan was more difficult than their other assignments, Kilcawley said, adding that he did not know the circumstances surrounding Malone’s death.

“Afghanistan is more dangerous,” he said. “The Taliban over there are a little more braver in trying to attack us.”

Enjoyed writing, producing music

The Associated Press

John Malone liked to see his friends smiling.

So if they weren’t, he’d try to change that.

“You would never have a bad day because he would always make you smile,” a friend, Zahara Majeed, told the Journal News of Westchester, N.Y.

He was friendly and polite and could light up a room.

“He was an all-around good Marine,” said Marco Kilcawley, who served with Malone in Iraq and Afghanistan. “He made everyone happy, even when we were around the field cold and miserable.”

Malone, 24, of Yonkers, N.Y., was killed Sept. 24 during fighting in Farah province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay.

Malone, a graduate of Charles E. Gorton High School, had looked forward to serving in the military, friends and family members said.

“It was a dream that he always wanted to do,” said his mother, Maria Pacheco. “It was something he had always talked about.”

Malone joined the Marines in February 2007 and was deployed to Iraq a year later. His Afghanistan deployment was in May.

Malone also had a passion for music, and he had written and produced some songs.

Marine Lance Cpl. Anthony J. Rosa

Died September 23, 2010 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

20 year old Anthony Rosa, of Swanton, Vt.; assigned to 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Sept. 23 at Camp Dwyer, Afghanistan, of injuries received while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

‘He was shot’ on patrol, family spokesman said

By John Briggs

The Burlington (Vt.) Free Press

Marine Lance Cpl. Anthony “Chuckie” Rosa, 20, of Swanton, Vt., was killed Sept. 23 in Afghanistan, the Defense Department confirmed late Sept. 24.

His death was confirmed earlier Sept. 24 by family friend Bill Rowell, who spoke from the family’s home. Rowell said a Marine, a Vermont state trooper and a city police officer went to the family’s home late Sept. 23 with news of Rosa’s death.

According to the Pentagon, Rosa died of wounds received while supporting combat operations in Helmand province. Rowell, the family friend, said Rosa was killed while on patrol. “He was shot,” Rowell said.

Rosa was assigned to G Company, 2nd Battalion, 6th Marines, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C. He left the Marine training facility at Lejeune for Afghanistan several months ago, Rowell said.

Rosa graduated in 2008 from Missisquoi Valley Union High School. Franklin Northwest Supervisory Union Superintendent Jack McCarthy said the school was waiting to learn the family’s wishes before planning a memorial ceremony.

Rosa’s body arrived Sept. 25 at Dover Air Force Base, Del. Rosa said it then would fly on to Vermont in a National Guard plane.

“The Marine delegation will be here this evening to go through the paperwork with us,” Rowell said Sept. 24. “Anthony’s mother asked me to field the calls.”

Rosa is the 39th U.S. service member either from Vermont or with close ties to the state who has died in support of the wars in Iraq and in Afghanistan since March 2003.

This year, three other soldiers have died in Afghanistan, all Vermont guardsmen. Spc. Ryan J. Grady, 25, of West Burke was killed July 2; Sgts. Tristan H. Southworth, 21, of Walden and Steven J. Deluzio, 25, of South Glastonbury, Conn., were killed Aug. 22.

Rosa remembered as a gentleman

The Associated Press

Anthony Rosa, a lance corporal in the Marines, recently asked his mom to send care packages to him in Afghanistan. He wanted to give them to soldiers who had never received anything from their families.

Such kindness is what made Rosa, nicknamed Chuckie, so popular among friends and neighbors in Swanton, Vt., where he grew up.

“He was a perfectly mannered gentleman,” said Bill Rowell, a close friend of Rosa’s family. “He wasn’t perfect,” Rowell added, “but he came closer to it than most.”

Rosa, 20, also was known as an excellent golfer, an avid fisherman and a good student.

He joined the Marines a few months after graduating from Missisquoi Valley Union High School in 2008. He was serving in Afghanistan’s Helmand province when he was killed Sept. 23 while on patrol. He was assigned to Camp Lejeune.

“It’s a real big loss for the community,” said Chris Ste. Marie, owner of Ste. Marie’s Deli & Quick Stop, where Rosa worked in high school. “Chuckie was the type of kid that … would have done something with his life, he would have done well for himself.”

Marine Lance Cpl. Joshua M. Bernard

Died August 14, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

21 year old Joshua Bernard, of New Portland, Maine; assigned to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay; died Aug. 14 while supporting combat operations in Camp Bastion, Afghanistan.

2/3 Marine dies in Afghanistan

Staff report

OCEANSIDE, Calif. — Defense Department officials Aug. 17 identified a Marine killed Aug. 14 in Afghanistan as Lance Cpl. Joshua M. Bernard.

Bernard, 21, a rifleman from New Portland, Maine, died while he was supporting operations in Helmand province, military officials said.

The combat deployment was the second for Bernard, who enlisted in November 2006 and joined Hawaii-based 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, in May 2007 and deployed with the battalion to Iraq in 2008, Marine Corps Base-Hawaii officials said in a news release. The battalion is operating as part of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade in Afghanistan.

Bernard had received the Purple Heart, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and a Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, officials said.

Marine Lance Cpl. Bruce E. Ferrell

Died August 10, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

21 year old Bruce Ferrell, of Perdido, Ala.; assigned to 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Aug. 10 while supporting combat operations in Garmsir, Afghanistan.

Alabama Marine on 1st deployment dies in Afghanistan

The Associated Press

MOBILE — A 21-year-old Marine from Perdido in north Baldwin County was killed in Afghanistan when a roadside bomb exploded during a routine foot patrol near Kandahar, family members said.

Lance Cpl. Bruce “Bubba” Ferrell Jr. was reported killed Sunday after stepping on an explosive.

Bruce Ferrell Sr. told the Press-Register that his son had recently become a Marine and began his first deployment in May.

He said the family last heard from him Saturday.

“We got to talk to him for 10 or 15 minutes, and we feel very lucky about that, because it happened the next evening,” Bruce Ferrell Sr. said.

Bubba Ferrell’s older sister, Danielle Denise Whatley, died in a car accident in 2006.

Hundreds remember fallen Marine

The Associated Press

BAY MINETTE, Ala. — A Marine who was killed in Afghanistan is being remembered in south Alabama.

A funeral was set for Monday for Marine Lance Cpl. Bruce Earnest “Bubba” Ferrell Jr. of Perdido. The 21-year-old Marine was killed by an improvised explosive while on patrol in Afghanistan on Aug. 10.

On Aug. 16, crowds of people with American flags and signs turned out in Bay Minette to remember Ferrell as a hearse carrying his body rolled through town.

Ferrell graduated from Baldwin County High School in 2006 and joined the Marines the next year. He had been in Afghanistan since May.

Marine Lance Cpl. Patrick W. Schimmel

Died August 9, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

21 year old Patrick Schimmel, of Winfield, Mo.; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Aug. 9 in Kandahar, Afghanistan, while supporting combat operations. Also killed were Lance Cpl. Dennis J. Burrow and Lance Cpl. Javier Olvera.

Was lean, wiry kid in high school

The Associated Press

Patrick W. Schimmel was a collector of knives and swords, a Boy Scout who had a thing for weapons, so it’s perhaps no surprise he joined the Marine Corps in 2006 and became a rifleman.

“The first time he shot a .50-caliber machine gun, he was ecstatic,” said his father, Wayne.

Patrick Schimmel, 21, of Winfield, Mo., died Aug. 9 from injuries suffered in combat operations in Helmand province.

His family said the 2006 Winfield High School graduate and cross country runner was a shy guy with a frame so lean and wiry that military recruiters had him bulk up by eating fast food so he’d meet weight standards. He was assigned to Camp Lejeune, N.C., and also had been deployed to Iraq from October 2007 to May 2008.

His older brother, Matthew, said Schimmel drove combat vehicles and translated Arabic.

The person he became as a Marine was a contrast to his high school persona as a spike-haired kid who typically wore baggy, black jeans and T-shirts, his family said.

“Everyone says he was a man, a warrior, but I still picture him as my little boy,” said his mother, Mary Jean Schimmel.

Marine Lance Cpl. Brandon T. Lara

Died July 19, 2009 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

20 year old Brandon Lara, of New Braunfels, Texas; assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died July 19 in Ubaydi, Iraq, while supporting combat operations.

Was eager to join the Corps

The Associated Press

As his Canyon High School classmates donned caps and gowns, Brandon Lara was in his helmet and fatigues. He was so eager to become a Marine that he finished his studies a semester before his May 2006 graduation.

“He had long waited for his 18th birthday so he could join,” said his father, Jacob Lara Jr. “When his classmates were walking the stage, Brandon was serving his first tour.” And he volunteered for his second.

Brandon Lara, 20, of New Braunfels, Texas, died July 19 in Iraq while supporting combat operations in Anbar province. He was assigned to Camp Pendleton, Calif., and scheduled to be home in October, in time for his birthday.

“Ever since I can remember, he knew exactly what he wanted to do,” his stepmother, Gloria Lara, said. “He’s always wanted to be military. Since he was little, he was into guns and swords and knives.”

She said they communicated constantly on the MySpace social networking Web site. During their last phone conversation, she said, he told her he was thinking of home.

Brandon Lara also is survived by his mother, Shannon Martin; his brother, Jonathon; and his sisters, Victoria and Rebecca Lara and Stormi McCandless.