thedrifter
05-11-08, 07:09 AM
Town grieves for Marine: 'This one hurt'
Death in Iraq 'brought war home' for one Carroll man
Sunday, May 11, 2008 4:11 AM
By Josh Jarman
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Marines carry the casket of Lance Cpl. James F. Kimple to his graveside service at Greenfield Township Cemetery in Carroll. Kimple, 21, was a married father of three.
CARROLL, Ohio -- Time stopped in this small village yesterday as residents turned out to honor the life and death of one of their own.
Lance Cpl. James F. Kimple, 21, was among four Marines killed May 2 by a roadside bomb in Iraq. Hundreds of friends, relatives and village residents attended Kimple's funeral service at Bloom-Carroll Middle School.
The married father of three young children was based at Camp Pendleton in California and was on his second tour of duty in Iraq. He leaves behind his wife, Amber, and their two children, Drake J. and Maleah R. Kimple, all of Amanda, and his child Dominic J. Kimple of Carroll.
Downtown Carroll was nearly deserted during the funeral, with local businesses paying tribute to the fallen Marine on signs and window displays. Pictures of the men and women from Carroll serving in the armed forces hang on the wall of Scoons Restaurant and Bar on Center Street.
Kimple's is the only one of the nine marked with a black ribbon. Outside, the sign reads "Welcome home Jimmy Kimple, be at peace."
Rows of motorcycles surrounding the school gym belonged to the Patriot Guard Riders and the Leathernecks Motorcycle Club. The two groups combined to bring more than 75 riders to serve as an honor guard in the funeral procession.
"A Marine is a Marine for life," said Mike Ream, 60, of Columbus, who led the Leathernecks' detail yesterday. "This kid we're burying today is younger than my children, but he's my brother."
Ream said the group would present embroidered and signed Marine Corps flags to the family in a separate ceremony after the funeral. The riders led the hearse to the Greenfield Township Cemetery, where Kimple was buried.
Bud Raver, 84, stood outside the school with his block-O hat held over his heart as the procession passed.
Raver, a Groveport resident who graduated from Carroll High School in 1942 and served in Europe in World War II, said losing a young man to war hits hard in such a tightknit community.
"It makes it seem like you're losing one of your family," Raver said.
Randy and Debra Swingle, whose family lives across from the school, agreed. Randy Swingle served in the Army for nine years, and both said their hearts go out to the children Kimple left behind.
"This one hurt," Randy Swingle said. "You get busy in your day-to-day life. You can almost forget we're fighting over there. This brought the war home."
Debra Swingle said she was just happy to see the town turn out for the funeral and support the family.
"I guess God needs good soldiers, too," she said.
jjarman@dispatch.com
Two motorcycle groups brought more than 75 riders to Carroll as an honor guard for Lance Cpl. James F. Kimple's funeral procession. "A Marine is a Marine for life," said one rider.
Ellie
Death in Iraq 'brought war home' for one Carroll man
Sunday, May 11, 2008 4:11 AM
By Josh Jarman
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Marines carry the casket of Lance Cpl. James F. Kimple to his graveside service at Greenfield Township Cemetery in Carroll. Kimple, 21, was a married father of three.
CARROLL, Ohio -- Time stopped in this small village yesterday as residents turned out to honor the life and death of one of their own.
Lance Cpl. James F. Kimple, 21, was among four Marines killed May 2 by a roadside bomb in Iraq. Hundreds of friends, relatives and village residents attended Kimple's funeral service at Bloom-Carroll Middle School.
The married father of three young children was based at Camp Pendleton in California and was on his second tour of duty in Iraq. He leaves behind his wife, Amber, and their two children, Drake J. and Maleah R. Kimple, all of Amanda, and his child Dominic J. Kimple of Carroll.
Downtown Carroll was nearly deserted during the funeral, with local businesses paying tribute to the fallen Marine on signs and window displays. Pictures of the men and women from Carroll serving in the armed forces hang on the wall of Scoons Restaurant and Bar on Center Street.
Kimple's is the only one of the nine marked with a black ribbon. Outside, the sign reads "Welcome home Jimmy Kimple, be at peace."
Rows of motorcycles surrounding the school gym belonged to the Patriot Guard Riders and the Leathernecks Motorcycle Club. The two groups combined to bring more than 75 riders to serve as an honor guard in the funeral procession.
"A Marine is a Marine for life," said Mike Ream, 60, of Columbus, who led the Leathernecks' detail yesterday. "This kid we're burying today is younger than my children, but he's my brother."
Ream said the group would present embroidered and signed Marine Corps flags to the family in a separate ceremony after the funeral. The riders led the hearse to the Greenfield Township Cemetery, where Kimple was buried.
Bud Raver, 84, stood outside the school with his block-O hat held over his heart as the procession passed.
Raver, a Groveport resident who graduated from Carroll High School in 1942 and served in Europe in World War II, said losing a young man to war hits hard in such a tightknit community.
"It makes it seem like you're losing one of your family," Raver said.
Randy and Debra Swingle, whose family lives across from the school, agreed. Randy Swingle served in the Army for nine years, and both said their hearts go out to the children Kimple left behind.
"This one hurt," Randy Swingle said. "You get busy in your day-to-day life. You can almost forget we're fighting over there. This brought the war home."
Debra Swingle said she was just happy to see the town turn out for the funeral and support the family.
"I guess God needs good soldiers, too," she said.
jjarman@dispatch.com
Two motorcycle groups brought more than 75 riders to Carroll as an honor guard for Lance Cpl. James F. Kimple's funeral procession. "A Marine is a Marine for life," said one rider.
Ellie