thedrifter
01-10-07, 07:59 AM
Second wind a Marine's final gift
By: JIMMY STARE - Commentary
Corporal Tyler Steele Leidig, a Camp Pendleton-based Marine, was killed in a car accident the night of Dec. 23 in his hometown of Saranac Lake, N.Y. Tyler's passing didn't make many headlines across the country. His family said he wouldn't want to be remembered that way. He was a modest man who possessed a character beyond words. His story, as well as where he's from, gives a rare glimpse into the bedrock of this nation, and it deserves to be told.
Tyler spent seven months in Iraq at Al Taqaddum air base and returned to the States in March 2005. A fellow Marine air frame mechanic who worked with Tyler in Iraq summed up his character with a story. One day, the base received a mortar attack. As people began running for shelter, Tyler first made sure all his tools were secured and then he checked on the Marines next to him before he made his way to the safety of a bunker. Courage under fire came naturally to Tyler. Friends and family in Saranac Lake said Tyler always put others first.
In early December 2006, Tyler married a girl named Sara at a quick ceremony in San Marcos. He had known her since the third grade and had once told her, "I had you picked out from the beginning." They kept their marriage a secret and were going to surprise friends and family with the news during Christmas. Sara said Tyler also planned to have a large, formal wedding in Saranac Lake in front of family and friends. They never got the chance.
The entire town of Saranac Lake seemed to be affected by Tyler's death, and mourners lined up by the hundreds for hours outside the funeral home. His mother, Janie, had a unique way of honoring Tyler's memory. She asked people in attendance to call or hug someone they loved in Tyler's honor.
It seemed like everybody in town took Janie's advice. The town of Saranac Lake treated the Marines from Tyler's unit and Marines from an honor detail in attendance for his funeral with overwhelming kindness and generosity. Everywhere they went, they were met with applause, handshakes and hugs. They were told many times over that their service to this country was greatly appreciated.
As I lifted the flag off of Tyler's casket, I was unable to stop my eyes from filling with tears. I was suddenly ashamed of every complaint I ever had about my service to the Marine Corps. Over the next few days, the entire town of Saranac Lake had thanked me and the Marines with me for our service to this great country and I quietly tried to find words to thank Cpl. Tyler Steele Leidig for reminding me that service to something greater than one's self carries with it a very special honor. I left Saranac Lake the next day with some kind of second wind. I'll always be grateful to Tyler for that.
Staff Sgt. Jimmy Stare is a Marine Corps journalist studying at Syracuse University. He was previously stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Camp Pendleton and San Diego.
More info. for web
www.adirondackdailyenterp...cleID=5372
www.pressrepublican.com/a.../612300315
Ellie
By: JIMMY STARE - Commentary
Corporal Tyler Steele Leidig, a Camp Pendleton-based Marine, was killed in a car accident the night of Dec. 23 in his hometown of Saranac Lake, N.Y. Tyler's passing didn't make many headlines across the country. His family said he wouldn't want to be remembered that way. He was a modest man who possessed a character beyond words. His story, as well as where he's from, gives a rare glimpse into the bedrock of this nation, and it deserves to be told.
Tyler spent seven months in Iraq at Al Taqaddum air base and returned to the States in March 2005. A fellow Marine air frame mechanic who worked with Tyler in Iraq summed up his character with a story. One day, the base received a mortar attack. As people began running for shelter, Tyler first made sure all his tools were secured and then he checked on the Marines next to him before he made his way to the safety of a bunker. Courage under fire came naturally to Tyler. Friends and family in Saranac Lake said Tyler always put others first.
In early December 2006, Tyler married a girl named Sara at a quick ceremony in San Marcos. He had known her since the third grade and had once told her, "I had you picked out from the beginning." They kept their marriage a secret and were going to surprise friends and family with the news during Christmas. Sara said Tyler also planned to have a large, formal wedding in Saranac Lake in front of family and friends. They never got the chance.
The entire town of Saranac Lake seemed to be affected by Tyler's death, and mourners lined up by the hundreds for hours outside the funeral home. His mother, Janie, had a unique way of honoring Tyler's memory. She asked people in attendance to call or hug someone they loved in Tyler's honor.
It seemed like everybody in town took Janie's advice. The town of Saranac Lake treated the Marines from Tyler's unit and Marines from an honor detail in attendance for his funeral with overwhelming kindness and generosity. Everywhere they went, they were met with applause, handshakes and hugs. They were told many times over that their service to this country was greatly appreciated.
As I lifted the flag off of Tyler's casket, I was unable to stop my eyes from filling with tears. I was suddenly ashamed of every complaint I ever had about my service to the Marine Corps. Over the next few days, the entire town of Saranac Lake had thanked me and the Marines with me for our service to this great country and I quietly tried to find words to thank Cpl. Tyler Steele Leidig for reminding me that service to something greater than one's self carries with it a very special honor. I left Saranac Lake the next day with some kind of second wind. I'll always be grateful to Tyler for that.
Staff Sgt. Jimmy Stare is a Marine Corps journalist studying at Syracuse University. He was previously stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Camp Pendleton and San Diego.
More info. for web
www.adirondackdailyenterp...cleID=5372
www.pressrepublican.com/a.../612300315
Ellie