thedrifter
08-25-07, 07:52 AM
Marine battalion honors six who didn't come back
JENNIFER HLAD
August 25, 2007 - 12:58AM
DAILY NEWS STAFF
Nine hundred and fifty-three Marines deployed to Iraq with 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment in January. The unit returned with 947.
Friday, the battalion paid tribute to the six fallen Marines - Lance Cpl. Brandon Van Parys, Capt. Todd Siebert, Lance Cpl. Angel Rosa, Lance Cpl. Jeffrey Adam Bishop, Lance Cpl. Adam Loggins and Lance Cpl. David Lindsey - honoring their lives in a memorial service at Camp Lejeune's Protestant Chapel.
"These Marines may be removed from our presence, but they are not removed from our hearts and minds," Lt. Col. Jim McGrath told the Marines, family and friends packed into the chapel. "They were and are our brothers in arms."
McGrath is commanding officer of 3/6, which served seven months in Habbaniyah, in the Al Anbar province of Iraq.
They had a range of responsibilities, including counterinsurgency, stability, security, clearing and sweeping operations. They worked combined operations with the Iraqi army, offered medical assistance to the locals and the Iraqi army and worked with Iraqi police and local neighborhood watch, said 1st Lt. Jeremy Nelson, the unit's adjutant.
The deaths of the six Marines are a reminder that everything worthwhile comes at a cost, "sometimes a very dear cost," McGrath said.
"These men died fighting for freedom," he said.
Lance Cpl. Brandon Van Parys was killed Feb. 5 by a rocket-propelled grenade, in the battalion's first major engagement, McGrath and Nelson said.
"This hero was a son, a brother, and last but not least, a great friend," said Lance Cpl. Adam Williams. "I have never in my life met a Marine or a friend like he was."
Two days before Van Parys was killed, he and Williams sat down and had a talk, Williams said.
Van Parys, or "VP," asked Williams "to let his family know how much he loved them, and not to worry, because he is in a better place now looking over them."
Capt. Todd Siebert, the battalion's operations officer, was killed when a mortar round struck his vehicle Feb. 16, Nelson said.
Seibert "was a crucial member of our battalion," said Capt. Dan Synder, who had been friends with Seibert for years.
"Todd was diligent, a very hard worker," Snyder said. "As a company commander, he was a man I trusted completely. If I heard his voice on the other end of the radio, I knew I was supported."
Lance Cpl. Angel Rosa, the point man for his squad, died March 13 when he stepped on an improvised explosive device while on patrol, Nelson said.
Rosa "put the safety of (other) Marines above his own," said Lance Cpl. Sonny Morrison. "It was his selflessness that saved my life and those of the other Marines."
Rosa "could see pain in your eyes and (would help) carry the burden," Morrison said. "We owe it to him to carry on."
Lance Cpl. Jeffrey Adam Bishop, known as Adam, was shot by a sniper April 20 while inside the patrol base, Nelson said.
Bishop went through some difficult times personally, but was able to pull through, and afterward "he always found a way to make a bad situation better," said Sgt. Walter Rattray.
"Adam was one of the best guys I knew. Always caring, always loving, he would give you the shirt off your back if you needed it," Rattray said. "I loved Adam like a brother. He will never be forgotten."
Lance Cpl. Adam Loggins was killed by sniper fire April 26 while moving weapons systems from one vehicle to another, Nelson said.
"You always lived the way you want to, you never compromised," Sgt. Timothy Adcock said, addressing Loggins. "You were a big tough guy, but always smart enough to know how to use it. We always knew you had our backs."
Now that Loggins is gone, "all we have left is faith and hope," Adcock said.
Lance Cpl. David Lindsey was standing post May 25 when he took his own life, Nelson said.
"He cared about others more than himself," said Lance Cpl. Theodore Jones. "He never complained about anything.
"If one of his fellow Marines or sailors was wounded, he was one of the first to give first aid," Jones said. "If given the opportunity to save lives, he would have gladly given his own life."
The service was a chance "to reflect on how each of these men colored and lit up our lives," said the battalion's chaplain, Lt. Michael Baker.
Though the battalion held memorial services for each of the men after their deaths, the joint memorial service allows the Marines to have a moment of closure with the families, Baker said, "To grieve together."
Contact military reporter Jennifer Hlad at jhlad@freedomenc.com or 353-1171, ext. 8449. To comment on this story, visit www.jdnews.com.
Ellie
JENNIFER HLAD
August 25, 2007 - 12:58AM
DAILY NEWS STAFF
Nine hundred and fifty-three Marines deployed to Iraq with 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment in January. The unit returned with 947.
Friday, the battalion paid tribute to the six fallen Marines - Lance Cpl. Brandon Van Parys, Capt. Todd Siebert, Lance Cpl. Angel Rosa, Lance Cpl. Jeffrey Adam Bishop, Lance Cpl. Adam Loggins and Lance Cpl. David Lindsey - honoring their lives in a memorial service at Camp Lejeune's Protestant Chapel.
"These Marines may be removed from our presence, but they are not removed from our hearts and minds," Lt. Col. Jim McGrath told the Marines, family and friends packed into the chapel. "They were and are our brothers in arms."
McGrath is commanding officer of 3/6, which served seven months in Habbaniyah, in the Al Anbar province of Iraq.
They had a range of responsibilities, including counterinsurgency, stability, security, clearing and sweeping operations. They worked combined operations with the Iraqi army, offered medical assistance to the locals and the Iraqi army and worked with Iraqi police and local neighborhood watch, said 1st Lt. Jeremy Nelson, the unit's adjutant.
The deaths of the six Marines are a reminder that everything worthwhile comes at a cost, "sometimes a very dear cost," McGrath said.
"These men died fighting for freedom," he said.
Lance Cpl. Brandon Van Parys was killed Feb. 5 by a rocket-propelled grenade, in the battalion's first major engagement, McGrath and Nelson said.
"This hero was a son, a brother, and last but not least, a great friend," said Lance Cpl. Adam Williams. "I have never in my life met a Marine or a friend like he was."
Two days before Van Parys was killed, he and Williams sat down and had a talk, Williams said.
Van Parys, or "VP," asked Williams "to let his family know how much he loved them, and not to worry, because he is in a better place now looking over them."
Capt. Todd Siebert, the battalion's operations officer, was killed when a mortar round struck his vehicle Feb. 16, Nelson said.
Seibert "was a crucial member of our battalion," said Capt. Dan Synder, who had been friends with Seibert for years.
"Todd was diligent, a very hard worker," Snyder said. "As a company commander, he was a man I trusted completely. If I heard his voice on the other end of the radio, I knew I was supported."
Lance Cpl. Angel Rosa, the point man for his squad, died March 13 when he stepped on an improvised explosive device while on patrol, Nelson said.
Rosa "put the safety of (other) Marines above his own," said Lance Cpl. Sonny Morrison. "It was his selflessness that saved my life and those of the other Marines."
Rosa "could see pain in your eyes and (would help) carry the burden," Morrison said. "We owe it to him to carry on."
Lance Cpl. Jeffrey Adam Bishop, known as Adam, was shot by a sniper April 20 while inside the patrol base, Nelson said.
Bishop went through some difficult times personally, but was able to pull through, and afterward "he always found a way to make a bad situation better," said Sgt. Walter Rattray.
"Adam was one of the best guys I knew. Always caring, always loving, he would give you the shirt off your back if you needed it," Rattray said. "I loved Adam like a brother. He will never be forgotten."
Lance Cpl. Adam Loggins was killed by sniper fire April 26 while moving weapons systems from one vehicle to another, Nelson said.
"You always lived the way you want to, you never compromised," Sgt. Timothy Adcock said, addressing Loggins. "You were a big tough guy, but always smart enough to know how to use it. We always knew you had our backs."
Now that Loggins is gone, "all we have left is faith and hope," Adcock said.
Lance Cpl. David Lindsey was standing post May 25 when he took his own life, Nelson said.
"He cared about others more than himself," said Lance Cpl. Theodore Jones. "He never complained about anything.
"If one of his fellow Marines or sailors was wounded, he was one of the first to give first aid," Jones said. "If given the opportunity to save lives, he would have gladly given his own life."
The service was a chance "to reflect on how each of these men colored and lit up our lives," said the battalion's chaplain, Lt. Michael Baker.
Though the battalion held memorial services for each of the men after their deaths, the joint memorial service allows the Marines to have a moment of closure with the families, Baker said, "To grieve together."
Contact military reporter Jennifer Hlad at jhlad@freedomenc.com or 353-1171, ext. 8449. To comment on this story, visit www.jdnews.com.
Ellie