Camden Marine dies in Iraq

[thedrifter]

Camden Marine dies in Iraq
Saturday, May 06, 2006
By Delen Goldberg
Staff writer

Elisha R. Parker committed to join the U.S. Marines as a 17-year-old high school junior.

The Camden boy knew early on that he wanted to spend his life fighting for his country, those who knew him said.

Parker, 21, was killed Thursday in Iraq. The sergeant had been clearing and securing an area in the Al Anbar province when an explosive device detonated, said Pastor Brian Lynch, speaking for the Parker family.

"This was his third tour of duty in Iraq," Lynch said Friday. "He loved his job. He loved his fellow Marines. He was very committed."

Parker was assigned to the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, based out of Camp Pendleton, Calif. Lynch said Parker volunteered to do the specialized work of bomb disposal.

A 2002 Camden High School graduate, Parker was well-known and well-liked in his community, Lynch said. While in high school, Parker played soccer, ran track and competed on the cross-country skiing team.

The summer before his senior year, Parker began to train as a Marine in Syracuse as part of the Marine Corps' Delayed Entry Program. He left for boot camp three weeks after he graduated.

Parker's father is a former Army soldier who fought in the Vietnam War.

"His family is very proud, as are we all," Lynch said. "Eli was a genuine, full man. It's an honor to have known him."

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Sgt. Elisha R. Parker
* Age: 21.
* Hometown: Camden.
* Occupation: Combat engineer for the U.S. Marine Corps.
* Family: Parents Renny and Donna Parker; two brothers and one sister.

'I think he felt it was his duty'
Allissa Kline
Observer-Dispatch

CAMDEN — Sgt. Elisha R. Parker could have gone to college after graduating in 2002 from Camden High School, friends said Friday.

Instead, he committed himself to the U.S. Marine Corps before his senior year and entered basic training a few weeks after graduation.

Parker, 21, a combat engineer, was killed Thursday in the Al Anbar province of Iraq, U.S. Defense Department officials said Friday. He was a member of the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Camp Pendleton, Calif., department officials said.

"He was a kid who was so gifted, he could have done anything," said Steve Campbell, Parker's high school track coach. "I think he felt it was his duty ... to serve the country."

Family friend and high school guidance counselor Carl Goodwill said Parker, who was on his third tour of duty in Iraq, and a fellow Marine were killed by a roadside bomb. Goodwill said that latest tour in Iraq was scheduled to run from March through September.

The Defense Department only would say in a news release that Parker was killed while performing combat operations against enemy forces.

Funeral arrangements for Parker were not available late Friday.

Parker's friend and former classmate Justin Casey of Troy said Parker always put others ahead of himself.

"He made the ultimate sacrifice for us and his country," said Casey, a senior at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy. "As tragic as it is, it's very fitting for Eli."

Vehicles Friday lined much of Second Street, where Parker's parents, Renny and Donna, live.

Food items were being stored in a refrigerator in the family's garage, and a blue Honda with a "U.S. Marine Corps" license plate ring was parked in the driveway.

The Rev. Brian Lynch of Abundant Life Community Church, who spoke on behalf of the Parker family, said Elisha Parker committed to join the Marines in a delayed entry program.

"Then comes Sept. 11, and of course, that didn't change his mind," Lynch said, referring to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C. "He seemed to know what he wanted."

As a student, Parker balanced academic and athletic achievements, Camden Central School District Superintendent Rocco Longo said.

"He took all our most rigorous courses and graduated 15th in a very competitive class," Longo said. "He was an outstanding young man with a great personality who was actively involved in our high school activities."

Parker ran track and cross-country during high school and was a member of the Nordic ski team. During his senior year, he was the school's first recipient of the Cpl. Pat Tillman Award, which is given to a graduating senior who enlisted in the military for full-time active duty, Goodwill said.

Tammy Kline, another guidance counselor, said about 1 percent or 2 percent of each graduating class — which average about 190 students — join the military.

Casey said he last saw Parker over the Christmas holiday when Parker was home on leave. The two friends met up at the Grape N Grog bar in the village, Casey said.

"It was the first time I'd seen him in almost a year, and it was the first time in a while we were able to hang out one-on-one," Casey said. "I remember I asked him what he was going to do after (his current enlistment with the Marines expired), and he was pretty much set to keep doing what he was doing. He loved what he did."

Parker's personality and willingness to give to others will be missed in the small community, Campbell said.

"(The military) wasn't his only option; he could have been building planes," Campbell said. "But nobody ever questioned him and said, 'You're stupid for this.' We just admired him."

In addition to his parents, Parker is survived by two brothers and a sister.

Ellie