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thedrifter
05-20-06, 02:27 AM
Recon Marine Was On 2nd Tour
By Leef Smith
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, May 19, 2006; B03

Marine Cpl. Stephen R. Bixler didn't mind serving a second tour in Iraq. He only wished that he could have been with fellow Marines in Ramadi, instead of Fallujah, because he thought he could help them weather the tough assignment.

"He felt bad he couldn't be with his buddies who were pretty up to their necks in it," said his father, Richard. As it turned out, "he was up to his neck anyway."

Bixler, 20, of Suffield, Conn., was killed May 4 while on foot patrol in Anbar province. He was assigned to the 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Yesterday, Bixler's family and friends gathered at Arlington National Cemetery to say goodbye to a young man who they said was considering a career in the Marines and who had remained upbeat about his experiences in Iraq.

"He always talked about the good things they were doing," his father said. "He felt bad for the way people had to live there . . . and [the military] seemed to be helping them to a better life."

Minutes into yesterday's memorial service, sunny skies gave way to a downpour, drenching scores of mourners who arrived without umbrellas. They huddled close to stay dry and the rain eventually abated, just as a bugler played taps.

Among those attending Bixler's interment were more than a dozen members of the Patriot Guard Riders, a motorcycle group that attends funeral services for fallen service members to show respect and to shield grieving families from war protesters, should there be any.

At the end of the service, Bixler's parents were presented with a crisply folded American flag, which they cradled at graveside.

Bixler, a 2003 graduate of Suffield High School, spent much of his youth in the Boy Scouts and helped clean and renovate a town park to become an Eagle Scout. Several uniformed Scouts attended yesterday's service.

In an interview with the Hartford Courant, Suffield High Principal Thomas Jones described Bixler as "a quiet leader among his peers."

"There was a strength of character about him and a self-assurance that was unusual for someone his age," Jones said. "He was just a solid person all around."

Kim Ramos, who identified herself as Bixler's cousin in an online guest book for mourners, said his death has been hard on the family.

"You were doing what you loved to do," Ramos wrote. "We just wish it didn't take you from us. Please know that the family is pulling together," she said, noting that she would be getting a puppy and naming it in his honor.

"You always wanted a dog and now we can share 'Bixler' together," the posting read. "You're gone but not forgotten."

Marine Cpl. Kraig Andrews of Woodbridge also signed the guest book, asking Bixler to "watch over us."

"I haven't had a friend as good as you," Andrews wrote. "We have been through a lot together. Iraq and training for recon. You are a warrior and a hero. You are going to be greatly missed. Don't worry. Your family is going to be okay. I talked to your dad and he misses you."

Richard Bixler said he never stopped worrying about his son while he was in Iraq. But he said that Bixler's family was "very proud of him."

"He was just an all-around great kid," he said.

Ellie