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thedrifter
05-28-06, 08:03 AM
05/28/2006
'A consummate Marine'
By Sara Capozzi , Herald Press Staff


Special to The Herald Press ... Capt. Brian Letendre is shown in this undated photo at the Naval and Marine Corps. Reserve Center in Plainville. Letendre had been killed during a suicide bombing in Iraq on May 3.

PLAINVILLE - There is still a dark stain on the carpet of Lt. Col. Gerald Larghe's office where he dropped his coffee cup upon learning the news of Capt. Brian Letendre's death.

Larghe received the phone call informing him that Letendre had been killed during a suicide bombing in Iraq on May 3, just three days after their last phone conversation.
Larghe had replaced Letendre as Commanding Officer at the Plainville Navy and Marine Reserve Center several months before, when Letendre volunteered for his third tour of duty in Iraq.

"They teach you about your mortality, drill it into your head the whole time you're in the Marine Corps, but when it happens, especially to someone you've just spoken to, it's kind of a shocker," Larghe said.

This weekend, as the nation honors its war dead with Memorial Day observances, those stationed at the Plainville base will surely recall Letendre, the first Marine from the unit to be killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Letendre, 27, was killed when a suicide vehicle exploded near him as he conducted combat operations against enemy forces in the Al Anbar province of Iraq.

He was assigned to the Marine Forces Reserve's Inspector and Instructor Staff, 1st Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, in Plainville in December 2003. He lived in New Britain for 18 months while stationed in Plainville.

A native of Woodbridge, Va., Letendre joined the Marines in 2000 after graduating from Milligan College in Tennessee. After completing training, he became an infantry officer.

Letendre was deployed in Okinawa, Japan and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba before being deployed to Iraq. He was part of the initial invasion in 2003 and was commander of the unit that helped take the city of Nazaria.

He was well-decorated and had earned the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with a Combat "V" for valor.

He volunteered to return to Iraq on a mission to train Iraqi forces about three weeks before his death.

Letendre left behind his college sweetheart and wife, Autumn, his 3-year-old son Dillon, his parents, and two brothers, but news of his death resonated strongly for all who knew him.

Marines from every company and battalion were represented along with hundreds of civilians. More than 100 vehicles took part in his 22-minute funeral procession.

"He reached more people than any of us ever thought although none of us are surprised," said Cpl. Zach Britt, who also worked closely with Letendre during the last two years.

Those who knew Letendre described him as charismatic and focused, a true leader who "always put his people first."

Letendre loved what he did and was a superior military strategist.
He was the type of person who would do field training for other battalions during his free time on weekends and would motivate men who were falling back during difficult drills.

According to Britt, Letendre did not follow the mold of most officers who are trained to be stand-offish, issuing orders from afar.

Britt described Letendre as one of the few officers who would go out on patrol, sleep, eat and work alongside the Marines he commanded.

"It's in stark contrast to what they are taught as officers but that wasn't his belief because he knew we were the backbone of his company," Britt said. "He was a working man's officer."

"When you think about Marines and the ideal that goes with Marines, he was the mold that everybody looked at. He was what civilians looked at and said that's what a Marine is. He was by far the consummate Marine."

Those who worked closely with Letendre said he gave his life for something that was important to him.

"He died doing what he loved," said Staff Sgt. Gary Thompson. "He loved the Marine Corps. He was a true warrior. He went out with a blaze of glory."
All the officers said that even after Letendre's death they won't see Memorial Day differently this year.

"I've always looked at the Memorial Day holiday differently than any other holiday," Thompson said. "Because people before me went out and battled and died for what I believe in and the way I see it, I'm just trying to measure up to them."

"It's an absolute reality to what [Marines] do," Britt said. "There's a very real chance every time you do that it could very well be you and it could be me next time very easily. That's something we think about all the time ... It's inherently part of your job."

"We still have a job to do," Britt said. "We mourn his loss but by the same token, he would want it this way, that we continue to work because our job now here is to support the rest of the Marines over there and Capt. Letendre was not one to want to waste time on something like this."

"Coming up in the Marine Corps I was always told 'Never fear death because you know it's a sure thing in life' and I try to teach that to most of my Marines," Thompson said. "It's just what we do. And it's what Capt. Letendre did."

Sara Capozzi can be reached at scapozzi@newbritainherald.com, or by calling (860) 225-4601, Ext. 320.

Ellie