thedrifter
02-02-07, 03:03 PM
Quiet Boy' Wanted to Serve - Vancouver Marine dies in Iraq
Friday, February 02, 2007
DEAN BAKER Columbian staff writer
Masses are to be said both in Vancouver and on the Pacific island of Saipan for nine consecutive nights in memory of Marine Lance Cpl. Adam Q. Emul, a 2005 graduate of Hudson's Bay High School who died from wounds received while patrolling in Al Anbar province.
He is at least the 10th service member with ties to Clark County to be killed since the fighting in Iraq began in 2003.
Candles on an impromptu shrine burned as night fell Thursday, lighting one wall of the family's living room in the Fircrest neighborhood. A half dozen nephews and little friends of the young Marine rolled around on the floor, and relatives prepared a meal for his extended family.
"We like to have food for all who come to the Mass at 7 o'clock," said Emul's sister, Maryann Mendiola, 30, of Vancouver, a medical records specialist at Southwest Washington Medical Center. "We are coping all right with our grief."
Emul, 19, was killed by an improvised explosive device while he patrolled as a rifleman in the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, based in Twentynine Palms, Calif.
Born March 7, 1987, he joined the Marine Corps on Aug. 15, 2005, right out of high school. His awards include the National Defense Service Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
"He always wanted to be in the military since he was a little kid," said Mendiola's husband, Ray Dela Cruz. "He wanted to serve our country."
Emul loved to play basketball with two of his five nephews who live in Vancouver, 10-year-old Marc Dela Cruz and Sir Lashu Dela Cruz, 3.
"He was a quiet boy, who was very independent and loved to do things by himself," said his sister. He loved playing video games and dreamed of being a soldier.
Like many teens and young adults, Emul had a page on Myspace.com, a Web site devoted to personal journals. On his page, he described himself as a Pacific Islander who loved music by rock groups Guns N' Roses, Pink Floyd, Metallica, Black Sabbath, as well as Bob Marley, Led Zepplin and Green Day.
"He was very well-liked and very well-respected," said Vancouver school district spokeswoman Kris Sork. "He was always willing to help others."
After enrolling at Hudson's Bay on Nov. 17, 2003, Emul enjoyed taking a pottery class. Art teacher Susan Cole remembered Emul with fondness.
"Adam was one of those kids who was always supportive," said Cole. "He was always willing to help others. He was so responsible and so considerate. He's the kind of kid you'd give a job recommendation to in a heartbeat. He was a wonderful person to know."
Besides his sister and five nephews, Emul is survived by his father, Wayne Emul, of Saipan, and his mother, Angelica Quitugua, of Vancouver. Quitugua, who doesn't speak English, shares a home with Mendiola and Dela Cruz, who works in the instrument sterilization department of Southwest Washington Medical Center.
Emul is to be buried in Saipan. There are no immediate plans for public services in Vancouver outside the family home.
"All 19 of us plan to go to Saipan for services," said Mendiola, who served as Emul's guardian when he moved here from Saipan, a U.S. commonwealth, in 2003. "Most of our family lives there."
The Marines will pay the bill for the travel, she said.
When the family returns from Saipan, Mendiola said members hope to bring some remembrances of Emul to the high school.
"Adam was loved by all who knew him," Hudson's Bay Principal Kathy Everidge said Thursday. "His peers admired him for his kindness and genuineness. We can't begin to express our deepest gratitude to Adam and his family for his service to our country."
Ellie
Friday, February 02, 2007
DEAN BAKER Columbian staff writer
Masses are to be said both in Vancouver and on the Pacific island of Saipan for nine consecutive nights in memory of Marine Lance Cpl. Adam Q. Emul, a 2005 graduate of Hudson's Bay High School who died from wounds received while patrolling in Al Anbar province.
He is at least the 10th service member with ties to Clark County to be killed since the fighting in Iraq began in 2003.
Candles on an impromptu shrine burned as night fell Thursday, lighting one wall of the family's living room in the Fircrest neighborhood. A half dozen nephews and little friends of the young Marine rolled around on the floor, and relatives prepared a meal for his extended family.
"We like to have food for all who come to the Mass at 7 o'clock," said Emul's sister, Maryann Mendiola, 30, of Vancouver, a medical records specialist at Southwest Washington Medical Center. "We are coping all right with our grief."
Emul, 19, was killed by an improvised explosive device while he patrolled as a rifleman in the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, based in Twentynine Palms, Calif.
Born March 7, 1987, he joined the Marine Corps on Aug. 15, 2005, right out of high school. His awards include the National Defense Service Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
"He always wanted to be in the military since he was a little kid," said Mendiola's husband, Ray Dela Cruz. "He wanted to serve our country."
Emul loved to play basketball with two of his five nephews who live in Vancouver, 10-year-old Marc Dela Cruz and Sir Lashu Dela Cruz, 3.
"He was a quiet boy, who was very independent and loved to do things by himself," said his sister. He loved playing video games and dreamed of being a soldier.
Like many teens and young adults, Emul had a page on Myspace.com, a Web site devoted to personal journals. On his page, he described himself as a Pacific Islander who loved music by rock groups Guns N' Roses, Pink Floyd, Metallica, Black Sabbath, as well as Bob Marley, Led Zepplin and Green Day.
"He was very well-liked and very well-respected," said Vancouver school district spokeswoman Kris Sork. "He was always willing to help others."
After enrolling at Hudson's Bay on Nov. 17, 2003, Emul enjoyed taking a pottery class. Art teacher Susan Cole remembered Emul with fondness.
"Adam was one of those kids who was always supportive," said Cole. "He was always willing to help others. He was so responsible and so considerate. He's the kind of kid you'd give a job recommendation to in a heartbeat. He was a wonderful person to know."
Besides his sister and five nephews, Emul is survived by his father, Wayne Emul, of Saipan, and his mother, Angelica Quitugua, of Vancouver. Quitugua, who doesn't speak English, shares a home with Mendiola and Dela Cruz, who works in the instrument sterilization department of Southwest Washington Medical Center.
Emul is to be buried in Saipan. There are no immediate plans for public services in Vancouver outside the family home.
"All 19 of us plan to go to Saipan for services," said Mendiola, who served as Emul's guardian when he moved here from Saipan, a U.S. commonwealth, in 2003. "Most of our family lives there."
The Marines will pay the bill for the travel, she said.
When the family returns from Saipan, Mendiola said members hope to bring some remembrances of Emul to the high school.
"Adam was loved by all who knew him," Hudson's Bay Principal Kathy Everidge said Thursday. "His peers admired him for his kindness and genuineness. We can't begin to express our deepest gratitude to Adam and his family for his service to our country."
Ellie