thedrifter
06-02-07, 06:31 AM
Marine 'couldn't stay away' from Corps
Body of sergeant killed in Iraq arrives in Colo.
By Sara Burnett, Rocky Mountain News
June 2, 2007
FORT COLLINS - Being a leader was something that came naturally to Marine Sgt. Nicholas R. Walsh.
When he was just 4 years old, he went to the mall with his father and older brother and sister, dressed in a button-down shirt and bow tie, and carrying a child-size briefcase, his sister, Heather Walsh-Haney, told about 200 people who gathered to remember him Friday night.
Once safely through the parking lot, young "Nick" let go of his dad's hand.
"He wanted to walk in front of us, in front of his brother and sister and his dad, and lead us," Walsh-Haney said.
Sgt. Walsh, a 26-year-old father of two, was shot by a sniper one week ago in Fallujah, Iraq. He was about two months into his second tour.
Friday morning, Walsh returned to his family, his flag- draped casket accompanied on a flight from Dover Air Force Base by his father, Jerry Walsh, of Fort Collins, and a Marine from Camp Pendleton.
As the charter flight landed at the Fort Collins/Loveland Airport, his stepmother, Maggie Walsh; his widow, Julie; three of his brothers, a sister, a sister- in-law and his best friend waited on the tarmac.
When the plane's hatch opened, Jerry Walsh stepped out. Maggie Walsh walked out to greet him, and the two shared a long embrace.
Six pallbearers carried the casket to a hearse. A police escort led the hearse and a limousine carrying the family to a funeral home in Fort Collins for a private viewing. A vigil was held Friday night at St. Joseph Catholic Church.
Maggie Walsh, who had raised him since he was 5, described Sgt. Walsh as "a good son, a wonderful husband, and a proud father."
Born in Georgia, he lived in several places growing up. He joined the Marine Corps straight out of high school in 1998, following in his grandfather's footsteps.
He served four years before leaving, getting married and having a son. But the pull of the Marines was too strong, and two years after he left, Sgt. Walsh re-enlisted.
"He couldn't stay away from the Marine Corps," said Maggie Walsh. "It was part of who he was."
He loved to work on cars with his father, ski and snowboard, and spend time in Glacier National Park, "his favorite place on the planet," his family said. But most of all, they said, he loved Julie and their sons, Triston, 4, and Tanner, 7 months.
A reconnaissance Marine and team leader, Walsh trained the five members of his team and took his responsibility for them very seriously, Maggie Walsh said.
He returned from his first tour in Iraq in March 2006.
A few hours before he died, Walsh called his wife. It was an odd time for him to call, and when Julie asked him about it, he told her he woke up and couldn't go back to sleep, and that he felt like he needed to call. They spoke for about 20 minutes before saying their last good-byes.
In addition to his wife and children, Sgt. Walsh is survived by his parents and stepparents, Jerry and Maggie Walsh, of Fort Collins, and Donna and Victor Correa, of Italy, Texas; his brothers and sisters, Heather Walsh-Haney of Florida, Sean Walsh of Arkansas, Ian, Flynn and Fiona Walsh, of Fort Collins, and Dave Hinton.
His grandfather, Col. Walter R. Walsh, USMC, Ret. of Arlington, Va., turned 100 last month.
How to help
An education fund has been established for the children of Sgt. Nicholas Walsh. Donations may be sent to:
Sgt. Nicholas Walsh's Children's Fund
c/o First National Bank
205 W. Oak St.
Fort Collins, CO 80521
• Mass of Resurrection: 9:30 a.m. today at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Fort Collins
• Sign the guestbook: goesfuneralcare.com
burnetts@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-6820
Ellie
Body of sergeant killed in Iraq arrives in Colo.
By Sara Burnett, Rocky Mountain News
June 2, 2007
FORT COLLINS - Being a leader was something that came naturally to Marine Sgt. Nicholas R. Walsh.
When he was just 4 years old, he went to the mall with his father and older brother and sister, dressed in a button-down shirt and bow tie, and carrying a child-size briefcase, his sister, Heather Walsh-Haney, told about 200 people who gathered to remember him Friday night.
Once safely through the parking lot, young "Nick" let go of his dad's hand.
"He wanted to walk in front of us, in front of his brother and sister and his dad, and lead us," Walsh-Haney said.
Sgt. Walsh, a 26-year-old father of two, was shot by a sniper one week ago in Fallujah, Iraq. He was about two months into his second tour.
Friday morning, Walsh returned to his family, his flag- draped casket accompanied on a flight from Dover Air Force Base by his father, Jerry Walsh, of Fort Collins, and a Marine from Camp Pendleton.
As the charter flight landed at the Fort Collins/Loveland Airport, his stepmother, Maggie Walsh; his widow, Julie; three of his brothers, a sister, a sister- in-law and his best friend waited on the tarmac.
When the plane's hatch opened, Jerry Walsh stepped out. Maggie Walsh walked out to greet him, and the two shared a long embrace.
Six pallbearers carried the casket to a hearse. A police escort led the hearse and a limousine carrying the family to a funeral home in Fort Collins for a private viewing. A vigil was held Friday night at St. Joseph Catholic Church.
Maggie Walsh, who had raised him since he was 5, described Sgt. Walsh as "a good son, a wonderful husband, and a proud father."
Born in Georgia, he lived in several places growing up. He joined the Marine Corps straight out of high school in 1998, following in his grandfather's footsteps.
He served four years before leaving, getting married and having a son. But the pull of the Marines was too strong, and two years after he left, Sgt. Walsh re-enlisted.
"He couldn't stay away from the Marine Corps," said Maggie Walsh. "It was part of who he was."
He loved to work on cars with his father, ski and snowboard, and spend time in Glacier National Park, "his favorite place on the planet," his family said. But most of all, they said, he loved Julie and their sons, Triston, 4, and Tanner, 7 months.
A reconnaissance Marine and team leader, Walsh trained the five members of his team and took his responsibility for them very seriously, Maggie Walsh said.
He returned from his first tour in Iraq in March 2006.
A few hours before he died, Walsh called his wife. It was an odd time for him to call, and when Julie asked him about it, he told her he woke up and couldn't go back to sleep, and that he felt like he needed to call. They spoke for about 20 minutes before saying their last good-byes.
In addition to his wife and children, Sgt. Walsh is survived by his parents and stepparents, Jerry and Maggie Walsh, of Fort Collins, and Donna and Victor Correa, of Italy, Texas; his brothers and sisters, Heather Walsh-Haney of Florida, Sean Walsh of Arkansas, Ian, Flynn and Fiona Walsh, of Fort Collins, and Dave Hinton.
His grandfather, Col. Walter R. Walsh, USMC, Ret. of Arlington, Va., turned 100 last month.
How to help
An education fund has been established for the children of Sgt. Nicholas Walsh. Donations may be sent to:
Sgt. Nicholas Walsh's Children's Fund
c/o First National Bank
205 W. Oak St.
Fort Collins, CO 80521
• Mass of Resurrection: 9:30 a.m. today at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Fort Collins
• Sign the guestbook: goesfuneralcare.com
burnetts@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-6820
Ellie