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thedrifter
10-25-06, 07:07 AM
No One Left Behind
By Stacey Baca

October 19, 2006 - Military men and women who have survived combat have found another calling. They are using precious leave time to try to ease the pain of families whose loved ones don't make it home.

Military men and women are returning to Illinois to visit families -- not just their own. They are comforting the families of their killed comrades. In the military, there is an old saying, "No one left behind." The injured are rescued, those killed are brought home, and the families of military men and women who have died in combat are not forgotten.

The images of war are vivid and the deaths of US Marines weigh heavily.

"It's so surreal when this happens. It seems like a dream, like it's not real. You eventually have to realize that it is," said Cpl. Dan Tsutsumi, US Marine Corps.

That is the reality Marine Corporal Dan Tsutsumi lives with each day. The 21-year-old Marine is back from Iraq and recently visited his parents in Arlington Heights. Their house was adorned with symbols of a happy homecoming. But Dan came back to the Chicago area because of two Marines, two friends, who did not return home alive, Lance Corporal Philip Martini of Lansing and Corporal Ryan Cummings of Streamwood.

"Just feel awful when something like this happens, and we just wanted to see their families, because if anything happened to us, I'm pretty sure they would do the same for us and visit our families," said Tsutsumi.

Ryan Cummings died June 3 when a roadside bomb flipped his armored vehicle near Fallujah. His father John struggled at first, unsure if a visit would be the right move.

"I sort of fell back. First thing was, I don't want to relive that all again," said John Cummings, deceased Marine's father.

But he changed his mind. So, he, along with his wife and parents, came to an Arlington Heights church to meet Dan Tsutsumi.

"I walked into the parlor and gave everyone hugs," said Tsutsumi.

"It was so reassuring. He reminded us so much of Ryan," Cummings said. "I think there's comfort in that. You know, even though it was hard to do and listen to at different times, it was a good thing."

The same was true for the family of Philip Martini. The 24-year-old was killed April 8 by insurgent gunfire. Several Marines have spent their vacation time visiting his family.

"Phil was their brother and now I'm their brother, and they've embraced me. It's like having Phil back when these guys come back," said Anthony Martini, deceased Marine's brother.

The Marines and these families bonded, talking about the lives of Philip Martini and Ryan Cummings, but when they come here to Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery there is a different mood, a different feeling. Ryan and Philip are buried here.

"Because Phil was gone for so long, we always just felt like he's still in Iraq. When you go to that grave site, you know that he's not in Iraq. He's here, and it's final," said Anthony Martini.

"If I die over there, or anyone else, I'm sure my friends would come and see my folks, too. It's just a bond that we share I think," said Cpl. Dan Tsutsumi.

A bond between Chicago-area families and the Marines who survived the war and made sure that "no one was left behind."

"These guys, really when they say they're there forever and we're part of their family, they mean it. And they haven't let it go. They're the ones keeping in contact with us. They're the ones keeping this alive. They want us in their lives and we want them in our lives," Anthony Martini said.

The Martini family says Marines have traveled from Texas and Colorado to spend time with them in Lansing. Recently, they all gathered at Camp Pendleton in California for a special memorial service. One family member said it was the toughest, yet most rewarding step, they have taken together.

Ellie