thedrifter
05-08-06, 01:01 PM
Little Ferry Marine dies of his wounds
Saturday, May 6, 2006
By JOHN A. GAVIN
STAFF WRITER
Matthew Fenton, the U.S. Marine Corps sergeant from Little Ferry who was seriously injured last month in a suicide bomb attack in Iraq, died Friday, his uncle, Noel Fenton, said. He was 24.
Fenton, who was at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland, spurred a flurry of prayer vigils in his hometown after residents learned about the severity of his injuries.
"Sergeant Fenton is a true American hero," Little Ferry Council President Mauro Raguseo said. "He willingly and courageously put himself in harm's way to serve, and for that, this community and nation will be eternally grateful.
"He and his family are in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. The mayor and council and the citizens of Little Ferry join his family and friends in mourning his loss and celebrating his life."
Fenton was reportedly injured when an insurgent in a car on a road near Falusia darted out from a side street and tried to ram his vehicle into a military convoy. For his valor, the Marines presented Fenton with a Purple Heart at his bedside Thursday.
Friends, family and former teachers said Fenton, who graduated from Ridgefield Park Junior-Senior High School, was proud to be a Marine and entered the armed forces as a prelude to becoming a police officer when he returned home.
In its official statement, the borough urged citizens to "hold all those servicing in the armed forces in their prayers."
Flags at Borough Hall, the Ambulance Corps and various other municipal buildings and monuments were at half-staff, Raguseo said.
Fenton is also survived by his mother, Dianne; father, John; sister, Courtney; aunt and god-mother, Allison Valentin; and several cousins. He died with family members at his side.
E-mail: gavin@northjersey.com
Ellie
Saturday, May 6, 2006
By JOHN A. GAVIN
STAFF WRITER
Matthew Fenton, the U.S. Marine Corps sergeant from Little Ferry who was seriously injured last month in a suicide bomb attack in Iraq, died Friday, his uncle, Noel Fenton, said. He was 24.
Fenton, who was at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland, spurred a flurry of prayer vigils in his hometown after residents learned about the severity of his injuries.
"Sergeant Fenton is a true American hero," Little Ferry Council President Mauro Raguseo said. "He willingly and courageously put himself in harm's way to serve, and for that, this community and nation will be eternally grateful.
"He and his family are in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. The mayor and council and the citizens of Little Ferry join his family and friends in mourning his loss and celebrating his life."
Fenton was reportedly injured when an insurgent in a car on a road near Falusia darted out from a side street and tried to ram his vehicle into a military convoy. For his valor, the Marines presented Fenton with a Purple Heart at his bedside Thursday.
Friends, family and former teachers said Fenton, who graduated from Ridgefield Park Junior-Senior High School, was proud to be a Marine and entered the armed forces as a prelude to becoming a police officer when he returned home.
In its official statement, the borough urged citizens to "hold all those servicing in the armed forces in their prayers."
Flags at Borough Hall, the Ambulance Corps and various other municipal buildings and monuments were at half-staff, Raguseo said.
Fenton is also survived by his mother, Dianne; father, John; sister, Courtney; aunt and god-mother, Allison Valentin; and several cousins. He died with family members at his side.
E-mail: gavin@northjersey.com
Ellie