thedrifter
05-04-07, 08:51 AM
Award honors Marine lost in Iraq
MU scholarship named for Mark Gelina.
By JACOB LUECKE of the Tribune’s staff
The family and friends of a Marine from Moberly who died serving in Iraq awarded a scholarship in his honor yesterday.
Mark Gelina earned a degree in industrial engineering from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2005. In November, Gelina, a first lieutenant in the Marines, died in what the what the U.S. Department of Defense called a "non-hostile incident."
After Gelina’s death, friend and neighbor Bobby Leidy worked with Gelina’s family to establish a scholarship in his honor.
"It needed to be done; it was the right thing to do," Leidy said.
Gelina’s parents said they hope the scholarship would keep their son’s memory alive and inspire others to follow his example.
"In that way, people will know what kind of a person that he was, and maybe in some way or another they will try to emulate him," said Teresa Coonce, Gelina’s mother. "Not only was he just a Marine, he was a family man, and he wanted all of his Marines to be family men, too."
The award was given to Marine Staff Sgt. Michael McGuire, a junior business major from Camdenton, during a midshipman battalion change-of-command ceremony inside the MU Recreation Center.
McGuire said he met Gelina during his first year in MU’s ROTC program.
"He really welcomed us and got us into the door, showed us the ropes," said McGuire, who was surprised to have been chosen for the award.
"It’s really sad that we have to have this scholarship, but it’s the greatest honor in the world," he said. "One of the true patriots, Mark Gelina was."
Gelina left behind a wife, Stacey Gelina, and three children, Cheyane, 11, Nicholas, 7, and Brett, 2.
Shortly after his death, word came that Gelina died after falling from a roof in Iraq’s al-Anbar province. But the family said they are still in the dark about specific circumstances.
"I have no investigation report yet," Stacey Gelina said. "It’s still in the works."
Reach Jacob Luecke at (573) 815-1713 or jluecke@tribmail.com.
Ellie
MU scholarship named for Mark Gelina.
By JACOB LUECKE of the Tribune’s staff
The family and friends of a Marine from Moberly who died serving in Iraq awarded a scholarship in his honor yesterday.
Mark Gelina earned a degree in industrial engineering from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2005. In November, Gelina, a first lieutenant in the Marines, died in what the what the U.S. Department of Defense called a "non-hostile incident."
After Gelina’s death, friend and neighbor Bobby Leidy worked with Gelina’s family to establish a scholarship in his honor.
"It needed to be done; it was the right thing to do," Leidy said.
Gelina’s parents said they hope the scholarship would keep their son’s memory alive and inspire others to follow his example.
"In that way, people will know what kind of a person that he was, and maybe in some way or another they will try to emulate him," said Teresa Coonce, Gelina’s mother. "Not only was he just a Marine, he was a family man, and he wanted all of his Marines to be family men, too."
The award was given to Marine Staff Sgt. Michael McGuire, a junior business major from Camdenton, during a midshipman battalion change-of-command ceremony inside the MU Recreation Center.
McGuire said he met Gelina during his first year in MU’s ROTC program.
"He really welcomed us and got us into the door, showed us the ropes," said McGuire, who was surprised to have been chosen for the award.
"It’s really sad that we have to have this scholarship, but it’s the greatest honor in the world," he said. "One of the true patriots, Mark Gelina was."
Gelina left behind a wife, Stacey Gelina, and three children, Cheyane, 11, Nicholas, 7, and Brett, 2.
Shortly after his death, word came that Gelina died after falling from a roof in Iraq’s al-Anbar province. But the family said they are still in the dark about specific circumstances.
"I have no investigation report yet," Stacey Gelina said. "It’s still in the works."
Reach Jacob Luecke at (573) 815-1713 or jluecke@tribmail.com.
Ellie