thedrifter
04-25-06, 08:11 AM
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Marine from Dubois killed in explosion in Iraq
From Staff and AP Dispatches
DUBOIS, Ind. -- A 23-year-old Marine from Southern Indiana has been killed in Iraq during his second tour of duty in the Middle East.
Cpl. Eric Lueken's parents, Glenn Jake and Melinda Lueken, said they learned Saturday that their son had been killed that day during combat.
"Just like a shock," Melinda Lueken said in describing her feelings when Marines came to her door in Dubois to give her the news.
The Department of Defense said yesterday that Lueken died in combat operations in Iraq's Anbar province. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.
Lueken, a field radio operator, was killed by an improvised explosive device while in a convoy, said 2nd Lt. Binford Strickland of the Marine Corps base at Kaneohe Bay.
A 2001 graduate of Northeast Dubois High School, Lueken joined the Marine Corps in October 2003, his family said. He served in Afghanistan from November 2004 to June 2005 and left on March 11 for seven months in Iraq, his parents said.
After his time in Afghanistan, Lueken told his mother that he was not taking life for granted anymore, she told The Herald of Jasper.
Pictures show Lueken with Afghan children, and Jake Lueken said his son hated to see the way those children were forced to live. Before he left for Iraq, Lueken told his brother, Brent, and his father that he was ready.
"He took it serious," his father said. "He knew the risks."
Brent Lueken, 19, said last night that his brother played basketball at North Dubois High and "he really loved it. He really loved basketball."
After high school, Brent Lueken said, his brother worked for about a year and a half at a water treatment plant before becoming a Marine.
"He just wanted to do it for his country," he said, adding that while his brother was serious and seemed to gain focus after he signed up, he also joked around and was a good older brother. He always made you happy.
Rick Gladish, now principal of North Dubois High School, remembered teaching Lueken 9th grade English.
"I didn't know him well, but I remember Eric as a good person, from a good family. He had a real commitment to serving his country," Gladish said.
Lueken, who grew up on the family poultry farm, had planned to marry his girlfriend, Ericka Merkel, when he came back from Iraq, his parents said.
Ellie
Marine from Dubois killed in explosion in Iraq
From Staff and AP Dispatches
DUBOIS, Ind. -- A 23-year-old Marine from Southern Indiana has been killed in Iraq during his second tour of duty in the Middle East.
Cpl. Eric Lueken's parents, Glenn Jake and Melinda Lueken, said they learned Saturday that their son had been killed that day during combat.
"Just like a shock," Melinda Lueken said in describing her feelings when Marines came to her door in Dubois to give her the news.
The Department of Defense said yesterday that Lueken died in combat operations in Iraq's Anbar province. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.
Lueken, a field radio operator, was killed by an improvised explosive device while in a convoy, said 2nd Lt. Binford Strickland of the Marine Corps base at Kaneohe Bay.
A 2001 graduate of Northeast Dubois High School, Lueken joined the Marine Corps in October 2003, his family said. He served in Afghanistan from November 2004 to June 2005 and left on March 11 for seven months in Iraq, his parents said.
After his time in Afghanistan, Lueken told his mother that he was not taking life for granted anymore, she told The Herald of Jasper.
Pictures show Lueken with Afghan children, and Jake Lueken said his son hated to see the way those children were forced to live. Before he left for Iraq, Lueken told his brother, Brent, and his father that he was ready.
"He took it serious," his father said. "He knew the risks."
Brent Lueken, 19, said last night that his brother played basketball at North Dubois High and "he really loved it. He really loved basketball."
After high school, Brent Lueken said, his brother worked for about a year and a half at a water treatment plant before becoming a Marine.
"He just wanted to do it for his country," he said, adding that while his brother was serious and seemed to gain focus after he signed up, he also joked around and was a good older brother. He always made you happy.
Rick Gladish, now principal of North Dubois High School, remembered teaching Lueken 9th grade English.
"I didn't know him well, but I remember Eric as a good person, from a good family. He had a real commitment to serving his country," Gladish said.
Lueken, who grew up on the family poultry farm, had planned to marry his girlfriend, Ericka Merkel, when he came back from Iraq, his parents said.
Ellie