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thedrifter
02-25-06, 06:20 AM
02/25/2006
A hero is mourned
The Daily Times

By TIMOTHY LOGUE tlogue@delcotimes.com NEWTOWN -- A handful of Marines were the first to stand when the family of Sgt. James Fordyce entered St. Anastasia Church Friday morning. More than 200 others who gathered in the pews to pay their respects at a funeral Mass for the 22-year-old Newtown Square native immediately followed suit.
Fordyce, who was due home in a matter of weeks, was hoping to see them all before he was killed in a Feb. 17 helicopter crash off the eastern coast of Africa.

"Jimmy was looking so forward to coming home in April," said Edward Fordyce, who painted a glowing portrait of his nephew following a mass delivered by the Rev. James McKelvey.

"He stepped up and made the ultimate sacrifice with his life for us."

A 2001 graduate of Marple Newtown High School, Fordyce served two tours in Iraq before joining the Combined Joint Task Force, Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) last October.

Since then, he had been part of a counter-terrorism force that navigated the land and waters in and around Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti and Ethiopia in Africa, and Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Fordyce was one of eight Marines and two airmen killed in the crash of two transport helicopters during a nighttime training mission off the coast of Djibouti. The incident is still under investigation and military officials have not said whether the helicopters collided.

Fordyce was a helicopter mechanic with North Carolina-based Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 464.

"There is no greater loss and no greater fear than the loss of your baby, especially one as perfect as Jimmy," Edward Fordyce said while looking in the direction of his brother and sister-in-law, Jim and Peggy Fordyce. "And he was perfect."

Fordyce went on to describe his nephew as a well-mannered, soft-spoken, polite and humble young man "with a million-dollar smile." He drew smiles when he noted "the one time" Jimmy abandoned those qualities, grabbing his then 4-year-old brother Jack by the hair and shaking him until he left him alone.

In addition to his younger brother, Fordyce also leaves behind a sister, Jessica; his girlfriend, Lesley Reed; grandfathers Floyd J. Stone and John F. Fordyce; and many other relatives and friends. Reed’s brother, Jess, also a Marine and one of James Fordyce’s closest friends, sat with the family for the Mass.

A Marine casualty officer and honor guard were also present.

While in Iraq, Fordyce was part of an expeditionary force that helped capture a former Baath Party leader and two men suspected of firing on Marines. The unit also worked closely with Iraqi Security Forces to disrupt anti-Iraqi activity in the Northern Babil province.

In a brief military career, he was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal, Good Conduct Medal, War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, War on Terrorism Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Navy Unit Commendation and the Presidential Unit Citation.

Fordyce would have celebrated his 23rd birthday next Wednesday.

"We’re here to honor a hero," said Edward Fordyce. "Your hero, a hero to all the world. Thank you Jim and Peg for raising a wonderful, wonderful son."

Family friend Peter Crisanti called Fordyce’s death "a wake-up call for how fragile life can be. We should always feel blessed for Jim and for all the kids who serve our country," he said.

In addition to his experiences in the Corps, James Fordyce enjoyed hunting, fishing, skiing and spending time with his friends and family.

Edward Fordyce said the young Marine always tried to calm his mother by saying he was doing just fine, regardless of what was going on around him. When home for R&R, his father was tempted to "shoot his feet so he wouldn’t have to go back," he added.

Though Jim and Peggy Fordyce have yet to speak publicly about their son’s death, Edward Fordyce said the family is incredibly grateful for the "overwhelming support" they have received in the last week.

"From our old friends, from new friends, the police, marines both active and retired, congressmen and strangers who fell in love with Jimmy, we thank you all," he said.

James Fordyce’s name will be etched onto a war memorial for Newtown residents that will be placed in Veterans Memorial Park on Brookside Road. U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon said he would be reading a resolution honoring Fordyce into the Congressional Record next week.

Fordyce is buried at SS. Peter and Paul Cemetery in Marple Township.

McKelvey said Fordyce embodied the love that is at the core of Christian life. It was that quality which prompted a reading from the John’s first letter, which ends, "The way we came to know love was that he laid down his life for us; so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers."

"I don’t want you to remember Jim for how he died," McKelvey said. "I want you to remember him for the triumphant way that he lived."

Ellie