Marines (& Corpsman) Salute Fallen Comrades

USA Today | August 16, 2005

HADITHAH, Iraq - Three hundred Marines gathered Monday to remember 23 of their own who were killed in a spate of violence.

Six Marines were killed Aug. 1, including five from the 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, based in northern Ohio. Fourteen from the 25th Marines were killed Aug. 3 when their amphibious assault vehicle struck a roadside bomb; nine were from the Columbus-based Lima Company. Three other Marines were killed in separate incidents in the region.

After Monday's memorial service, Sgt. Eric Francis, 28, of Elyria, Ohio, said, "This has been one of the worst days of my life."

His best friend, Sgt. Bradley Harper, was killed in the Aug. 3 bombing. "Never in a million years did I think it would be this hard," Francis said. "You get over here and think you're indestructible."

The somber service was a scaled-down version of those normally held in the field. One rifle inverted into a sandbag supported a camouflaged helmet and 23 dog tags. A pair of dusty boots sat at its base. The thin metallic ping of the dog tags blown against the M-16 by the morning wind could be heard as the 25th Marines stood at attention at their base atop Hadithah Dam.

"It's important for the families to know that this happened, to know that their sons have not been forgotten," Sgt. Maj. Edward Wagner said.

Marines try to hold a memorial service as soon as possible after fighting stops to help put the events in perspective, said Lt. Col. Lionel Urquhart, battalion commander. Those killed in action typically are honored with a full eulogy and a rifle memorial, a ceremony that requires the presence of three Marines for each death.

Monday's service was simplified because the number of recent casualties would have required participation of at least 69 of the roughly 300 Marines in attendance.

A larger service is planned later in the year when the entire battalion, now spread throughout Anbar province, is reunited.

The province is one of the most volatile regions in Iraq.

Ohio's reservist 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines has suffered heavy losses since the unit and its attachments deployed in Iraq in March. Forty-eight of its Marines have been killed in action. The unit has spent about 80% of its time actively patrolling and engaging insurgents, said Capt. John Kasparian, battalion spokesman.

Reports of continuing deaths of U.S. servicemembers have contributed to a decline in President Bush's favorable rating for handling the situation in Iraq. A USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll released last week showed the nation split on whether it was a mistake to invade. Bush, responding last week to calls from protesters to withdraw U.S. troops, said it "would be a mistake for the security of this country."
Francis, the sergeant who lost his best friend, agreed. He said more, not less, manpower is needed. "If we're going to do it, we need to do it," he said.

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