thedrifter
12-30-06, 07:18 PM
Gator' Marines honor one of their fallen
by Gunnery Sgt. Mark Oliva
Marines from Regimental Combat Team 5's "Team Gator" paused to honor a fallen Marine Dec. 28.
Lance Cpl. Luke C. Yepsen, a 20 year old from Kingwood, Texas, was memorialized by his Marines from TOW Platoon, 1st Tank Battalion, assigned to B Company, 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion, RCT-5. Yepsen was killed in action Dec. 14 and was honored by his Marines at Camp Fallujah's Chapel of Hope.
"I need not remind members of this audience that the challenges of merely executing our assigned missions are daunting indeed," said Col. Larry D. Nicholson, RCT-5's commanding officer. "Danger lurks not only in the dark heart of our enemy, but on every road, trail, highway and bridge. But still, we go. We go every day, and we will go tomorrow. This is what Lance Cpl. Yepsen and the countless of thousands of Marines who came before him would have demanded of us: to do our duty."
Nicholson recalled Yepsen as a Marine who joined the Corps at 18 years old and became an assaultman, but just as easily become a mechanic. He said he had a love for repairing cars and often spent his free time in a garage, skinning his knuckles on an old engine.
Still, as an assaultman, Yepsen found his calling, serving in Iraq alongside his fellow Marines in combat.
"I do know the type of Marine that he was and the fabric from which he was cut," Nicholson said. "While we are a Corps of great individuals, rugged characters and fascinating backgrounds, all joining to serve for a multitude of reasons, we are not an army of one, but rather a Corps of Marines, single-minded in our actions, in our resolve, focused as a team on our mission."
Capt. Eric P. Dominijanni, C Company's commander recalled Yepsen as a man who took a steeper path in life than most. He never avoided difficulty, he said, but rather sought out challenges most others would never consider.
"He knew what he wanted," Dominijanni said. "He wanted to be a Marine. He wanted to do something above himself. He wanted to do something to give back to the society that made him what he is. He even joined knowing the nation was in conflict with another country. He chose a job full of hardship, harsh rules, regulations and danger. He chose a profession of sacrifice, prestige and honor. He chose a profession that would allow him to make a difference in the world, a profession that few can aspire to and even fewer can become. He chose to be a United States Marine."
Yepsen was born in Kingwood, Texas, on April 1, 1987. He enlisted in the Marine Corps on March 25, 2005 and reported to Marine Corps Recruit San Diego on Sept. 6. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, I Company and graduated in December 2006. He was ordered to the School of Infantry at Camp Pendleton, Calif., and graduated with the military occupational specialty of anti-tank assaultman. In March, 2006, Yepsen reported to 1st Tank Battalion, 1st Marine Division at Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif. He was assigned to the battalion"s TOW Platoon and deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
"He died making a difference, yet doing nothing more than his job," Dominijanni added. "That's what makes it so great. He died alongside and protecting his brothers-in-arms, doing things that people can't even fathom, can't even contemplate.
"I know he made a difference right here," he added.
Lance Cpl. Sean A. Moore first met Yepsen when he first joined the platoon. He deployed with him, shared a room with him and drives the humvee on which Yepsen served as a turret gunner.
"Luke was never one to dwell on the negative side of life, or death for that matter," Moore said. "Whatever happened, he always seemed to flow with the situation. That's just what he did, and he was good at it. He just lived life to the best of his ability. He was the kind of person everyone wanted to be friends with. Luke loved his life and everyone in it, and as much as he joked, the Corps. Luke died doing what he loved."
Moore said that he and Yepsen had grown close during their time serving together. They often spent spare time together, traveling to the phone center to make calls home.
"In my eyes, Yepsen was not a friend," Moore said. "He was a brother. The short time that I got to know Luke was a privilege. There's not a doubt in my mind I got to serve with one of the best."
Yepsen's awards include the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.
"Today, I challenge each of you to match the dedication to Corps of Lance Cpl. Luke Yepsen," Nicholson said. "And if you come up short against his mark, and you will work harder, aim higher and raise your own bar of ambition and level of expectation in all areas of your personal and professional life. Luke Yepsen lived a short, but rich life, doing exactly what he wanted to do; protecting the innocent, vanquishing the wicked and protecting all we hold important as United States Marines."
Ellie
by Gunnery Sgt. Mark Oliva
Marines from Regimental Combat Team 5's "Team Gator" paused to honor a fallen Marine Dec. 28.
Lance Cpl. Luke C. Yepsen, a 20 year old from Kingwood, Texas, was memorialized by his Marines from TOW Platoon, 1st Tank Battalion, assigned to B Company, 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion, RCT-5. Yepsen was killed in action Dec. 14 and was honored by his Marines at Camp Fallujah's Chapel of Hope.
"I need not remind members of this audience that the challenges of merely executing our assigned missions are daunting indeed," said Col. Larry D. Nicholson, RCT-5's commanding officer. "Danger lurks not only in the dark heart of our enemy, but on every road, trail, highway and bridge. But still, we go. We go every day, and we will go tomorrow. This is what Lance Cpl. Yepsen and the countless of thousands of Marines who came before him would have demanded of us: to do our duty."
Nicholson recalled Yepsen as a Marine who joined the Corps at 18 years old and became an assaultman, but just as easily become a mechanic. He said he had a love for repairing cars and often spent his free time in a garage, skinning his knuckles on an old engine.
Still, as an assaultman, Yepsen found his calling, serving in Iraq alongside his fellow Marines in combat.
"I do know the type of Marine that he was and the fabric from which he was cut," Nicholson said. "While we are a Corps of great individuals, rugged characters and fascinating backgrounds, all joining to serve for a multitude of reasons, we are not an army of one, but rather a Corps of Marines, single-minded in our actions, in our resolve, focused as a team on our mission."
Capt. Eric P. Dominijanni, C Company's commander recalled Yepsen as a man who took a steeper path in life than most. He never avoided difficulty, he said, but rather sought out challenges most others would never consider.
"He knew what he wanted," Dominijanni said. "He wanted to be a Marine. He wanted to do something above himself. He wanted to do something to give back to the society that made him what he is. He even joined knowing the nation was in conflict with another country. He chose a job full of hardship, harsh rules, regulations and danger. He chose a profession of sacrifice, prestige and honor. He chose a profession that would allow him to make a difference in the world, a profession that few can aspire to and even fewer can become. He chose to be a United States Marine."
Yepsen was born in Kingwood, Texas, on April 1, 1987. He enlisted in the Marine Corps on March 25, 2005 and reported to Marine Corps Recruit San Diego on Sept. 6. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, I Company and graduated in December 2006. He was ordered to the School of Infantry at Camp Pendleton, Calif., and graduated with the military occupational specialty of anti-tank assaultman. In March, 2006, Yepsen reported to 1st Tank Battalion, 1st Marine Division at Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif. He was assigned to the battalion"s TOW Platoon and deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
"He died making a difference, yet doing nothing more than his job," Dominijanni added. "That's what makes it so great. He died alongside and protecting his brothers-in-arms, doing things that people can't even fathom, can't even contemplate.
"I know he made a difference right here," he added.
Lance Cpl. Sean A. Moore first met Yepsen when he first joined the platoon. He deployed with him, shared a room with him and drives the humvee on which Yepsen served as a turret gunner.
"Luke was never one to dwell on the negative side of life, or death for that matter," Moore said. "Whatever happened, he always seemed to flow with the situation. That's just what he did, and he was good at it. He just lived life to the best of his ability. He was the kind of person everyone wanted to be friends with. Luke loved his life and everyone in it, and as much as he joked, the Corps. Luke died doing what he loved."
Moore said that he and Yepsen had grown close during their time serving together. They often spent spare time together, traveling to the phone center to make calls home.
"In my eyes, Yepsen was not a friend," Moore said. "He was a brother. The short time that I got to know Luke was a privilege. There's not a doubt in my mind I got to serve with one of the best."
Yepsen's awards include the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.
"Today, I challenge each of you to match the dedication to Corps of Lance Cpl. Luke Yepsen," Nicholson said. "And if you come up short against his mark, and you will work harder, aim higher and raise your own bar of ambition and level of expectation in all areas of your personal and professional life. Luke Yepsen lived a short, but rich life, doing exactly what he wanted to do; protecting the innocent, vanquishing the wicked and protecting all we hold important as United States Marines."
Ellie