thedrifter
04-26-06, 10:40 AM
Modesto Marine killed in Iraq
20-year-old on 2nd tourof duty was in secure area when rockets struck base
By ROSALIO AHUMADA
BEE STAFF WRITER
Last Updated: April 26, 2006, 05:40:09 AM PDT
A Marine from Modesto thought to be in a secure area was killed Monday after two rockets struck his forward combat base in Iraq, according to the military.
Lance Cpl. Aaron William Simons, 20, had returned from patrol when the rockets hit his protected base in al Qaim, Iraq, said Marine Capt. Donn Puca.
Simons is the 16th person from the Northern San Joaquin Valley to die in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.
John Widick, a family spokesman, said Simons was not wearing his helmet or Kevlar vest when the rockets hit the base. He was inside a reinforced and secure area where protective gear was not required.
His family described Simons as a sensitive, guitar-playing teenager who grew up to be a loyal Marine.
"There's been laughter from stories today interspersed with tears," Widick said. "But there's been a lot of silence, too. Nobody knows what to say."
Simons was with the 1st Battalion, 7th Regimental Combat Team in his second tour of duty in Iraq. His home base was at Twentynine Palms in Southern California.
Simons trained Iraqi soldiers and was part of a four-man fire team, which conducts security patrols, said Widick, who is Simons' cousin.
"He was really dedicated and took his work and his training seriously," Widick said. "He was a very proud Marine."
Friends and family stopped by the family's north Modesto home to offer condolences and support.
The Marine made sure to keep in touch with family and friends through e-mails and several cell phones, even though he had trouble hanging on to them.
"He kept losing them. The last cell phone he had was run over by a tank," Widick said.
His father, John Simons, his mother, Charlotte, and his sisters, 24-year-old Michelle and 31-year-old Rachael, gathered Tuesday to share memories.
They remembered a shy teenager with a thick mane of dark hair that flowed to his shoulders when it wasn't tied in a ponytail.
However, he changed rapidly after enlisting in the Marines in December 2003.
"He grew up fast in the Marines," Widick said. "It turned him into a leader people looked up to."
Simons enlisted soon after graduating from Elliott Alternative Education Center.
"He did not want to be a minimum-wage laborer," said Michael Simons, his 30-year-old brother.
Simons grew up with a talent for music and formed a garage band as a teenager. He practiced his guitar playing everywhere, including his church.
Simons took his guitars to Iraq, where he put them to good use teaching other Marines how to play.
The brothers shared that passion for music and spent a lot of time hanging out when Simons returned home in December.
The pair played a bunch of blues songs together and just goofed around before Simons returned to Iraq.
"I had him laughing at my jokes," Michael Simons said. "I didn't want him to go back."
Bee staff writer Rosalio Ahumada can be reached at 578-2394 or rahumada@modbee.com.
Ellie
20-year-old on 2nd tourof duty was in secure area when rockets struck base
By ROSALIO AHUMADA
BEE STAFF WRITER
Last Updated: April 26, 2006, 05:40:09 AM PDT
A Marine from Modesto thought to be in a secure area was killed Monday after two rockets struck his forward combat base in Iraq, according to the military.
Lance Cpl. Aaron William Simons, 20, had returned from patrol when the rockets hit his protected base in al Qaim, Iraq, said Marine Capt. Donn Puca.
Simons is the 16th person from the Northern San Joaquin Valley to die in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.
John Widick, a family spokesman, said Simons was not wearing his helmet or Kevlar vest when the rockets hit the base. He was inside a reinforced and secure area where protective gear was not required.
His family described Simons as a sensitive, guitar-playing teenager who grew up to be a loyal Marine.
"There's been laughter from stories today interspersed with tears," Widick said. "But there's been a lot of silence, too. Nobody knows what to say."
Simons was with the 1st Battalion, 7th Regimental Combat Team in his second tour of duty in Iraq. His home base was at Twentynine Palms in Southern California.
Simons trained Iraqi soldiers and was part of a four-man fire team, which conducts security patrols, said Widick, who is Simons' cousin.
"He was really dedicated and took his work and his training seriously," Widick said. "He was a very proud Marine."
Friends and family stopped by the family's north Modesto home to offer condolences and support.
The Marine made sure to keep in touch with family and friends through e-mails and several cell phones, even though he had trouble hanging on to them.
"He kept losing them. The last cell phone he had was run over by a tank," Widick said.
His father, John Simons, his mother, Charlotte, and his sisters, 24-year-old Michelle and 31-year-old Rachael, gathered Tuesday to share memories.
They remembered a shy teenager with a thick mane of dark hair that flowed to his shoulders when it wasn't tied in a ponytail.
However, he changed rapidly after enlisting in the Marines in December 2003.
"He grew up fast in the Marines," Widick said. "It turned him into a leader people looked up to."
Simons enlisted soon after graduating from Elliott Alternative Education Center.
"He did not want to be a minimum-wage laborer," said Michael Simons, his 30-year-old brother.
Simons grew up with a talent for music and formed a garage band as a teenager. He practiced his guitar playing everywhere, including his church.
Simons took his guitars to Iraq, where he put them to good use teaching other Marines how to play.
The brothers shared that passion for music and spent a lot of time hanging out when Simons returned home in December.
The pair played a bunch of blues songs together and just goofed around before Simons returned to Iraq.
"I had him laughing at my jokes," Michael Simons said. "I didn't want him to go back."
Bee staff writer Rosalio Ahumada can be reached at 578-2394 or rahumada@modbee.com.
Ellie