thedrifter
05-19-05, 04:49 PM
1/6 honors fallen brother, strengthens resolve to fight terrorism
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Story Identification #: 2005519152350
Story by Cpl. Mike Escobar
CAMP BAHARIA, Iraq (April 24, 2005) -- The overcast sky seemed to emphasize the mood of the Marines and sailors of 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, as they filed out of the chapel here April 24.
Today, the unit honored their fallen brother, Hospitalman Aaron A. Kent, platoon corpsman with 1st Combined Anti-Armor Team ,Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment.
Kent, a 28-year-old Portland, Ore. native and veteran of a 2004 Afghanistan combat tour, passed away April 23 after his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device on a roadway outside Fallujah.
One day later, Kent’s unit gathered at the Baharia chapel to reflect on his life and pay their final respects. Personnel including Lt. Col. William M. Jurney, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment’s commander; Navy Lt. Richard Ryan, the unit’s chaplain; and Kent’s friends delivered words of reflection and encouragement to the assembled guests.
“We’ve lost a brother, but the Lord has gained an awesome sailor,” stated Staff Sgt. Michael Beagle, Kent’s platoon sergeant. “Doc Kent was a warrior. He walked the streets of Fallujah with us and in the middle of any fight he’d patch up any one of us.”
“I’d been with Kent for two years, since Afghanistan, and we were really good friends,” added Petty Officer 3rd Class Angel Perez, Weapons Company senior corpsman. “He was a real good guy, who could always put a smile on your face. He was really family oriented. All the Marines liked him, and he was a great guy to hang around with.”
The memorial service concluded with the playing of taps. Bagpipe music, the melody of ‘Amazing Grace,’ filled the Baharia chapel as the troops filed out after paying final respects to their fallen friend.
Amidst their grief, Kent’s fellow Marines and sailors kept their fighting spirit alive, now with increased fervor and resolve.
“We won’t lose focus on what we’re doing; ‘Doc’ wouldn’t want that,” said Capt. James T. Martin, Weapons Company commander. “I think everyone here, including ‘Doc’ Kent, if he was still with us, would like to continue to fight to ensure that this doesn’t happen to anyone else.”
Weapons Company’s CAAT units continue patrolling Fallujah and the surrounding areas in their ongoing hunt for insurgents.
http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/2005519153148/$file/050424-M-0502E-001lowres.jpg
CAMP BAHARIA, Iraq – Hospitalman Aaron A. Kent’s photo rests atop a stand inside the Baharia chapel during a memorial service here April 24, as Lt. Col. William M. Jurney, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment’s commander, looks on in the background. The 28-year-old Portland, Ore. native passed away April 23 when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device in a roadway outside Fallujah.
Photo by: Cpl. Mike Escobar
Ellie
Rest In Peace
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Story Identification #: 2005519152350
Story by Cpl. Mike Escobar
CAMP BAHARIA, Iraq (April 24, 2005) -- The overcast sky seemed to emphasize the mood of the Marines and sailors of 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, as they filed out of the chapel here April 24.
Today, the unit honored their fallen brother, Hospitalman Aaron A. Kent, platoon corpsman with 1st Combined Anti-Armor Team ,Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment.
Kent, a 28-year-old Portland, Ore. native and veteran of a 2004 Afghanistan combat tour, passed away April 23 after his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device on a roadway outside Fallujah.
One day later, Kent’s unit gathered at the Baharia chapel to reflect on his life and pay their final respects. Personnel including Lt. Col. William M. Jurney, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment’s commander; Navy Lt. Richard Ryan, the unit’s chaplain; and Kent’s friends delivered words of reflection and encouragement to the assembled guests.
“We’ve lost a brother, but the Lord has gained an awesome sailor,” stated Staff Sgt. Michael Beagle, Kent’s platoon sergeant. “Doc Kent was a warrior. He walked the streets of Fallujah with us and in the middle of any fight he’d patch up any one of us.”
“I’d been with Kent for two years, since Afghanistan, and we were really good friends,” added Petty Officer 3rd Class Angel Perez, Weapons Company senior corpsman. “He was a real good guy, who could always put a smile on your face. He was really family oriented. All the Marines liked him, and he was a great guy to hang around with.”
The memorial service concluded with the playing of taps. Bagpipe music, the melody of ‘Amazing Grace,’ filled the Baharia chapel as the troops filed out after paying final respects to their fallen friend.
Amidst their grief, Kent’s fellow Marines and sailors kept their fighting spirit alive, now with increased fervor and resolve.
“We won’t lose focus on what we’re doing; ‘Doc’ wouldn’t want that,” said Capt. James T. Martin, Weapons Company commander. “I think everyone here, including ‘Doc’ Kent, if he was still with us, would like to continue to fight to ensure that this doesn’t happen to anyone else.”
Weapons Company’s CAAT units continue patrolling Fallujah and the surrounding areas in their ongoing hunt for insurgents.
http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/2005519153148/$file/050424-M-0502E-001lowres.jpg
CAMP BAHARIA, Iraq – Hospitalman Aaron A. Kent’s photo rests atop a stand inside the Baharia chapel during a memorial service here April 24, as Lt. Col. William M. Jurney, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment’s commander, looks on in the background. The 28-year-old Portland, Ore. native passed away April 23 when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device in a roadway outside Fallujah.
Photo by: Cpl. Mike Escobar
Ellie
Rest In Peace