thedrifter
04-11-08, 05:22 AM
April 11, 2008
'He dreamed of doing his part ... as a Marine'
By LISA ROSSI
REGISTER AMES BUREAU
Hampton, Ia. - Marine Cpl. Cody Wanken wanted peace.
That was the message heard Thursday at his funeral in the gymnasium at Hampton-Dumont Community High School.
Wanken, 20, died April 2 at Camp Pendleton near San Diego, Calif., after being wounded in Iraq last September. The military says his death is under investigation.
"Cody hoped for a world of peace, even while he became ever more aware of conflicts between peoples and endless efforts to resolve them through military interventions," said the Rev. Bernard Grady of St. Patrick Catholic Church in Hampton.
"He dreamed of doing his part to bring about world peace by serving as a Marine."
Wanken joined the Marines in May 2006. He was injured in September 2007, suffering eye, ear and other facial injuries in Fallujah.
"His recovery had been long. His suffering had been great. Now he has died," Grady said.
Wanken was a machine gunner with the 1st Marine Division. He grew up in Hampton.
Friends told stories of Wanken's high school years. They recalled how frequently he would say bluntly, "I love football."
Joel Heuer, one of Wanken's high school football coaches, said even though Wanken was not a gifted athlete, he worked hard. He recalled an image of Wanken's arms flapping up and down on the football field as he tried to rally fans.
Friends said Wanken was proud of being part of the Marines, even though he wrote an anguished poem about his experiences in Iraq that was published in local newspapers.
"He told of finding explosives," Heuer said.
He said Wanken called him from the hospital after he was wounded. He "sounded strong" and didn't complain about his injuries.
He said family members recently told him that Wanken aspired to be like Heuer.
"I have the utmost respect and want to be like him," said Heuer, frequently choking up during his speech about Wanken.
Last October, Wanken told the Des Moines Register how he wrote a poem about war to push people to realize that "war isn't fun and games."
The poem was distributed at his funeral. It talks of a young Marine who "throws up and cries for Jesus."
"They say war isn't a game, or is it?" he wrote. "People watch t.v. or play video games and want it. But they don't know what nightmares are and what dead bodies smell like."
Wanken was buried at Glenwood Cemetery in Goldfield.
Reporter Lisa Rossi can be reached at (515) 232-2383 or lrossi@dmreg.com
Ellie
'He dreamed of doing his part ... as a Marine'
By LISA ROSSI
REGISTER AMES BUREAU
Hampton, Ia. - Marine Cpl. Cody Wanken wanted peace.
That was the message heard Thursday at his funeral in the gymnasium at Hampton-Dumont Community High School.
Wanken, 20, died April 2 at Camp Pendleton near San Diego, Calif., after being wounded in Iraq last September. The military says his death is under investigation.
"Cody hoped for a world of peace, even while he became ever more aware of conflicts between peoples and endless efforts to resolve them through military interventions," said the Rev. Bernard Grady of St. Patrick Catholic Church in Hampton.
"He dreamed of doing his part to bring about world peace by serving as a Marine."
Wanken joined the Marines in May 2006. He was injured in September 2007, suffering eye, ear and other facial injuries in Fallujah.
"His recovery had been long. His suffering had been great. Now he has died," Grady said.
Wanken was a machine gunner with the 1st Marine Division. He grew up in Hampton.
Friends told stories of Wanken's high school years. They recalled how frequently he would say bluntly, "I love football."
Joel Heuer, one of Wanken's high school football coaches, said even though Wanken was not a gifted athlete, he worked hard. He recalled an image of Wanken's arms flapping up and down on the football field as he tried to rally fans.
Friends said Wanken was proud of being part of the Marines, even though he wrote an anguished poem about his experiences in Iraq that was published in local newspapers.
"He told of finding explosives," Heuer said.
He said Wanken called him from the hospital after he was wounded. He "sounded strong" and didn't complain about his injuries.
He said family members recently told him that Wanken aspired to be like Heuer.
"I have the utmost respect and want to be like him," said Heuer, frequently choking up during his speech about Wanken.
Last October, Wanken told the Des Moines Register how he wrote a poem about war to push people to realize that "war isn't fun and games."
The poem was distributed at his funeral. It talks of a young Marine who "throws up and cries for Jesus."
"They say war isn't a game, or is it?" he wrote. "People watch t.v. or play video games and want it. But they don't know what nightmares are and what dead bodies smell like."
Wanken was buried at Glenwood Cemetery in Goldfield.
Reporter Lisa Rossi can be reached at (515) 232-2383 or lrossi@dmreg.com
Ellie