thedrifter
10-29-06, 07:45 AM
Marine vet killed in car crash
By SON HOANG AND MARK HAYWARD
Union Leader Correspondent and Union Leader Staff
Saturday, Oct. 28, 2006
Hudson – An Alvirne High School graduate who joined the Marines and survived a sniper's bullet last year died in a tragic automobile accident early yesterday morning on a Nashua highway.
Raban "Anthony" Kimungu, 24, of Hudson, had been a Marine for four years and served two tours of duty in Iraq, his family said last night.
He died after the car he was driving zig-zagged across three lanes of the F.E. Everett Turnpike, struck a highway barrier and then came to rest on the side of the road, New Hampshire state police reported.
Raban had returned home from Camp Lejeune, N.C., on Oct. 11. He had returned to the United States earlier this year from Iraq.
"Every time he came home, it was just joy. He makes home feel like home. He united the whole family together," said his aunt, Joyce Kimungu.
"He was vibrant and outgoing," said Leah Kimungu, his twin sister. He was the only brother to three sisters, she said.
Kimungu was born in Kenya and moved to America when he was 4, according to an article that ran in the Hudson-Litchfield News in April. His family moved to Hudson when he was in the fifth grade and he graduated from Alvirne High School in 2001.
Kimungu is not a U.S. citizen, a fact that his friend, Arthur Martel, said he wants to have changed.
"I just called Congressman Charlie Bass to expedite his citizenship right away," Martel said. "He fought for this country. It's important that we get this done."
A member of the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, Kimungu was shot by a sniper last November, according to the Hudson-Litchfield News
He received a scar from the shooting and suffered a numb spot, but he told the newspaper he expected to be back 100 percent.
He planned to attend college and study financial management upon leaving the Marines, he told the newspaper.
His battalion was stationed in Iraq from September 2005 to April, according to the battalion Web site. Kimungu told the newspaper the Marines trained the Iraqi army and tried to disrupt insurgents. He described his time there as horrible.
New Hampshire state police said Kimungu was at the wheel of a four-door, 2005 Mazda about 1:30 a.m. yesterday when it veered across three lanes of traffic, struck a left-side highway barrier and crossed the three lanes again before resting on the right-hand side.
The accident took place in the northbound lanes of the Everett at Exit 6 in Nashua. The two passengers were identified as Anthony Dutton, 24, of Litchfield, and Keith Migneault, 24, of Nashua. They were treated for minor injuries at St. Joseph Hospital.
Dutton's mother said she spoke to Kimungu's friends and family at St. Joseph Hospital after the accident.
"From what I heard, he was quite a guy. I haven't talked to anyone who didn't love him to pieces," Maria Dutton said.
"He fit in with everyone and was always the life of the party. He liked to have a good time," said Robert Kimungu, Raban's cousin. "He's like a brother to me."
In the past, officials have expressed concern about the number of accidents involving Iraq War veterans. The high-speed driving skills used to survive on Iraqi highways can lead to accidents or death back in America.
New Hampshire National Guard soldiers who return from the war are cautioned about driving and are given a refresher on civilian driving laws.
State police are asking anyone who witnessed the accident to contact them at 672-3333.
Ellie
By SON HOANG AND MARK HAYWARD
Union Leader Correspondent and Union Leader Staff
Saturday, Oct. 28, 2006
Hudson – An Alvirne High School graduate who joined the Marines and survived a sniper's bullet last year died in a tragic automobile accident early yesterday morning on a Nashua highway.
Raban "Anthony" Kimungu, 24, of Hudson, had been a Marine for four years and served two tours of duty in Iraq, his family said last night.
He died after the car he was driving zig-zagged across three lanes of the F.E. Everett Turnpike, struck a highway barrier and then came to rest on the side of the road, New Hampshire state police reported.
Raban had returned home from Camp Lejeune, N.C., on Oct. 11. He had returned to the United States earlier this year from Iraq.
"Every time he came home, it was just joy. He makes home feel like home. He united the whole family together," said his aunt, Joyce Kimungu.
"He was vibrant and outgoing," said Leah Kimungu, his twin sister. He was the only brother to three sisters, she said.
Kimungu was born in Kenya and moved to America when he was 4, according to an article that ran in the Hudson-Litchfield News in April. His family moved to Hudson when he was in the fifth grade and he graduated from Alvirne High School in 2001.
Kimungu is not a U.S. citizen, a fact that his friend, Arthur Martel, said he wants to have changed.
"I just called Congressman Charlie Bass to expedite his citizenship right away," Martel said. "He fought for this country. It's important that we get this done."
A member of the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, Kimungu was shot by a sniper last November, according to the Hudson-Litchfield News
He received a scar from the shooting and suffered a numb spot, but he told the newspaper he expected to be back 100 percent.
He planned to attend college and study financial management upon leaving the Marines, he told the newspaper.
His battalion was stationed in Iraq from September 2005 to April, according to the battalion Web site. Kimungu told the newspaper the Marines trained the Iraqi army and tried to disrupt insurgents. He described his time there as horrible.
New Hampshire state police said Kimungu was at the wheel of a four-door, 2005 Mazda about 1:30 a.m. yesterday when it veered across three lanes of traffic, struck a left-side highway barrier and crossed the three lanes again before resting on the right-hand side.
The accident took place in the northbound lanes of the Everett at Exit 6 in Nashua. The two passengers were identified as Anthony Dutton, 24, of Litchfield, and Keith Migneault, 24, of Nashua. They were treated for minor injuries at St. Joseph Hospital.
Dutton's mother said she spoke to Kimungu's friends and family at St. Joseph Hospital after the accident.
"From what I heard, he was quite a guy. I haven't talked to anyone who didn't love him to pieces," Maria Dutton said.
"He fit in with everyone and was always the life of the party. He liked to have a good time," said Robert Kimungu, Raban's cousin. "He's like a brother to me."
In the past, officials have expressed concern about the number of accidents involving Iraq War veterans. The high-speed driving skills used to survive on Iraqi highways can lead to accidents or death back in America.
New Hampshire National Guard soldiers who return from the war are cautioned about driving and are given a refresher on civilian driving laws.
State police are asking anyone who witnessed the accident to contact them at 672-3333.
Ellie