thedrifter
01-12-07, 07:42 PM
Fontana's Tamayo and four others are honored in memorial service in Iraq
By CPL. MICHAEL S. CIFUENTES
AL UBAYDI, Iraq - Memorial services were held by U.S. Marines and sailors serving in northwestern Al Anbar Province, Iraq, to honor the lives of three fallen Marines, one sailor and a civilian interpreter Dec. 28, 2006.
Lance Cpl. Fernando S. Tamayo, 21, of Fontana; Seaman Kyle A. Nolen, 21, of Ennis, Texas; Lance Cpl. Ryan J. Burgess, 21, of Sanford, Mich.; Lance Cpl. Ryan L. Mayhan, 25, of Hawthorne, Calif.; and Fathel Rahman Omar Abdel, known as "Mike," were all killed Dec. 21, 2006 during combat operations in northwestern Anbar Province, several miles away from the Iraq-Syria border.
The service members and interpreter were serving with India Company, 3rd
Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, a Twentynine Palms-based battalion. The four service members were four months into a seven-month deployment when they died.
The three Marines and Navy corpsman were represented with Kevlar helmets set atop rifles stuck bayonet-first into sandbags. Their combat boots were placed in front of their memorials; dog tags hung from the rifles. Even though Abdel did not have a rifle and helmet memorial, he was honored by the battalion during the service. Marines recognized him for his dedicated and "brave service."
"In a time of war we lost them, but in a coming season of peace their legacy will be evident in a world that is a better and safer place because they passed through it," said Navy Lt. Alan Rogers, the battalion's chaplain, during the ceremony.
1st Sgt. Ryan F. Blue, the senior enlisted man of India Company, said saying goodbye to "four heroes who gave their lives by simply doing their jobs" was one of the hardest things he's ever done.
"There is surely one word to describe each of these Marines and one sailor, and that is 'courageous,'" said Blue, an Omaha, Neb., native. "They sacrificed themselves in protection of us."
Tamayo, a Bloomington High School graduate, was remembered by Marines he served alongside with as a quiet person. A few days before his death, Tamayo said he was happy to be getting the combat operational experience he was getting in Iraq, said
Blue.
Nolen, known as "Doc" to the Marines he served with, was remembered for his young looks and the medical service he provided to his fellow Marines and sailors.
"Doc may have looked very younger than he was, but he was surely a man," said Blue.
Nolen was attached to the battalion's India Company, and often treated "wounded, sick or injured" Marines under sporadic mortar fire, said Blue.
Fellow Marines recalled Burgess as a very dependable Marine. His journey in the Corps began alongside Lance Cpl. Shawn Didde, a 21-year-old from Kansas City, Mo., when they graduated from boot camp together at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego. It was just "a short matter of time until a friendship was born," said Didde.
"There was a never a dull moment with him," said Didde. "India Company couldn't have asked for a better machine gunner."
Burgess always had a "salty" look to him, with his hair not so groomed, said Blue.
As a vehicle commander, the 21-year-old Burgess was responsible for leading a three-man team of Marines on vehicle patrols. The job he filled is a billet usually given to more senior Marines, usually noncommissioned officers.
"He was well above the average lance corporal," said Blue.
Marines remembered Mayan as a person who was always in good spirits.
"He always made me laugh," said Cpl. Michael Foss, a 25-year-old from Buffalo, N.Y.
A Marine with a solid frame, he was always good for cheering people up and to talk to, said Marines who he served with. "How are you doing?" was a common question Marines remembered Burgess asking them, said some.
Just last year, this region was the battle grounds of a 16-day-long fight between Marines and insurgents who infested the area. The operation was dubbed "Steel Curtain" and ended in the ousting of nearly 250 insurgents.
(Cpl. Michael S. Cifuentes is a combat correspondent from 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment.)
Ellie
By CPL. MICHAEL S. CIFUENTES
AL UBAYDI, Iraq - Memorial services were held by U.S. Marines and sailors serving in northwestern Al Anbar Province, Iraq, to honor the lives of three fallen Marines, one sailor and a civilian interpreter Dec. 28, 2006.
Lance Cpl. Fernando S. Tamayo, 21, of Fontana; Seaman Kyle A. Nolen, 21, of Ennis, Texas; Lance Cpl. Ryan J. Burgess, 21, of Sanford, Mich.; Lance Cpl. Ryan L. Mayhan, 25, of Hawthorne, Calif.; and Fathel Rahman Omar Abdel, known as "Mike," were all killed Dec. 21, 2006 during combat operations in northwestern Anbar Province, several miles away from the Iraq-Syria border.
The service members and interpreter were serving with India Company, 3rd
Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, a Twentynine Palms-based battalion. The four service members were four months into a seven-month deployment when they died.
The three Marines and Navy corpsman were represented with Kevlar helmets set atop rifles stuck bayonet-first into sandbags. Their combat boots were placed in front of their memorials; dog tags hung from the rifles. Even though Abdel did not have a rifle and helmet memorial, he was honored by the battalion during the service. Marines recognized him for his dedicated and "brave service."
"In a time of war we lost them, but in a coming season of peace their legacy will be evident in a world that is a better and safer place because they passed through it," said Navy Lt. Alan Rogers, the battalion's chaplain, during the ceremony.
1st Sgt. Ryan F. Blue, the senior enlisted man of India Company, said saying goodbye to "four heroes who gave their lives by simply doing their jobs" was one of the hardest things he's ever done.
"There is surely one word to describe each of these Marines and one sailor, and that is 'courageous,'" said Blue, an Omaha, Neb., native. "They sacrificed themselves in protection of us."
Tamayo, a Bloomington High School graduate, was remembered by Marines he served alongside with as a quiet person. A few days before his death, Tamayo said he was happy to be getting the combat operational experience he was getting in Iraq, said
Blue.
Nolen, known as "Doc" to the Marines he served with, was remembered for his young looks and the medical service he provided to his fellow Marines and sailors.
"Doc may have looked very younger than he was, but he was surely a man," said Blue.
Nolen was attached to the battalion's India Company, and often treated "wounded, sick or injured" Marines under sporadic mortar fire, said Blue.
Fellow Marines recalled Burgess as a very dependable Marine. His journey in the Corps began alongside Lance Cpl. Shawn Didde, a 21-year-old from Kansas City, Mo., when they graduated from boot camp together at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego. It was just "a short matter of time until a friendship was born," said Didde.
"There was a never a dull moment with him," said Didde. "India Company couldn't have asked for a better machine gunner."
Burgess always had a "salty" look to him, with his hair not so groomed, said Blue.
As a vehicle commander, the 21-year-old Burgess was responsible for leading a three-man team of Marines on vehicle patrols. The job he filled is a billet usually given to more senior Marines, usually noncommissioned officers.
"He was well above the average lance corporal," said Blue.
Marines remembered Mayan as a person who was always in good spirits.
"He always made me laugh," said Cpl. Michael Foss, a 25-year-old from Buffalo, N.Y.
A Marine with a solid frame, he was always good for cheering people up and to talk to, said Marines who he served with. "How are you doing?" was a common question Marines remembered Burgess asking them, said some.
Just last year, this region was the battle grounds of a 16-day-long fight between Marines and insurgents who infested the area. The operation was dubbed "Steel Curtain" and ended in the ousting of nearly 250 insurgents.
(Cpl. Michael S. Cifuentes is a combat correspondent from 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment.)
Ellie