thedrifter
09-07-06, 07:40 AM
Marine Recalled as a True Hero
Corporal Worried About Others More Than Himself, Friends Say
By Arianne Aryanpur
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, September 7, 2006; B08
It was apparent early on that Marine Cpl. Jordan Pierson was destined for the military, family friend Gloria Amendola said. Her son, Michael Amendola, was Pierson's best friend.
"When Mike was drawing kites, Jordan was drawing AK-47s," Amendola recalled.
Pierson's interest in the military continued through high school. He joined the Marines immediately after graduating in 2003.
Yesterday afternoon, mourners gathered at Arlington National Cemetery to honor Pierson, 21, of Milford, Conn. He died Aug. 25 from small-arms fire in Anbar province, Iraq.
He was the 260th person killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom to be buried at Arlington.
The motorcade to Section 60 included Patriot Guard Riders -- motorcyclists who sometimes attend military funerals to pay respects. Pierson's parents -- Eric and Beverley Pierson -- and his brother, Ethan, 11, led the procession through the soggy grass to grave site No. 8,421.
The two clergymen who delivered the sermon told those gathered that Pierson was a hero and that Arlington was a fitting resting place for the young man.
After graduating from Foran High School in Milford, Pierson attended recruit training at Parris Island, S.C. He was assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, based in Plainville, Conn. Pierson was deployed to Iraq in March and was awarded a Purple Heart after being wounded by a hand grenade.
Michael Amendola said Pierson was trying to protect others. "He was worried about others more than his own well-being, and that is the true meaning of a hero, of a Marine," Amendola said yesterday.
After the Arlington ceremony, friends and family gathered near their cars, sharing stories and memories.
His grandmother remembered taking him to the airport the day he was deployed to Iraq. "He was so quiet when he was leaving," she said. "He had a lot going on in his head. He knew where he was going."
Ethan recalled he and his brother spending hours playing video games. "He always said I was cheating," he said. Others said Pierson enjoyed paintball and making people laugh.
Gloria Amendola said that she had sent Pierson an article after he had deployed about the future of warfare. But Pierson had a keen interest in military news and had already read about it, she said.
Pierson's first tour of Iraq was to conclude in October, according to military officials. He kept in touch with family and friends through handwritten letters. Although he wrote home often, he never complained. He loved what he was doing, Gloria Amendola said.
"We're going to miss him," she said, "but we know he died doing what he believed in."
Ellie
Corporal Worried About Others More Than Himself, Friends Say
By Arianne Aryanpur
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, September 7, 2006; B08
It was apparent early on that Marine Cpl. Jordan Pierson was destined for the military, family friend Gloria Amendola said. Her son, Michael Amendola, was Pierson's best friend.
"When Mike was drawing kites, Jordan was drawing AK-47s," Amendola recalled.
Pierson's interest in the military continued through high school. He joined the Marines immediately after graduating in 2003.
Yesterday afternoon, mourners gathered at Arlington National Cemetery to honor Pierson, 21, of Milford, Conn. He died Aug. 25 from small-arms fire in Anbar province, Iraq.
He was the 260th person killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom to be buried at Arlington.
The motorcade to Section 60 included Patriot Guard Riders -- motorcyclists who sometimes attend military funerals to pay respects. Pierson's parents -- Eric and Beverley Pierson -- and his brother, Ethan, 11, led the procession through the soggy grass to grave site No. 8,421.
The two clergymen who delivered the sermon told those gathered that Pierson was a hero and that Arlington was a fitting resting place for the young man.
After graduating from Foran High School in Milford, Pierson attended recruit training at Parris Island, S.C. He was assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, based in Plainville, Conn. Pierson was deployed to Iraq in March and was awarded a Purple Heart after being wounded by a hand grenade.
Michael Amendola said Pierson was trying to protect others. "He was worried about others more than his own well-being, and that is the true meaning of a hero, of a Marine," Amendola said yesterday.
After the Arlington ceremony, friends and family gathered near their cars, sharing stories and memories.
His grandmother remembered taking him to the airport the day he was deployed to Iraq. "He was so quiet when he was leaving," she said. "He had a lot going on in his head. He knew where he was going."
Ethan recalled he and his brother spending hours playing video games. "He always said I was cheating," he said. Others said Pierson enjoyed paintball and making people laugh.
Gloria Amendola said that she had sent Pierson an article after he had deployed about the future of warfare. But Pierson had a keen interest in military news and had already read about it, she said.
Pierson's first tour of Iraq was to conclude in October, according to military officials. He kept in touch with family and friends through handwritten letters. Although he wrote home often, he never complained. He loved what he was doing, Gloria Amendola said.
"We're going to miss him," she said, "but we know he died doing what he believed in."
Ellie