PDA

View Full Version : Four fallen 1st FSSG Marines remembered



thedrifter
05-18-03, 06:48 PM
Four fallen 1st FSSG Marines remembered
Submitted by: MCB Camp Pendleton
Story Identification Number: 200351516420
Story by Lance Cpl. Jenn Steimer



MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (May 15, 2003) -- Gray skies underscored a somber mood gripping more than 1,100 mourners attending a memorial service here Tuesday for four fallen 1st Force Service Support Group Marines who served in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Flags lining the 11 Area Parade Field waved in the cool, soft breeze, coaxed by a lone violinist, as service members, friends and families members were ushered to their seats.
After the colors were posted, various speakers stood to talk on behalf of the fallen comrades.

"The day is a bit gloomy, but maybe that suits our mood," said Col. Tracy L. Mork, commanding officer of 1st Force Service Support Group's rear element.

"We will discover as we hear the stories of these men's lives that they all came to the Marine Corps from different places through different roads," she said. "They were searching for things that we all are still searching for: adventure, sense of purpose and a connection with others who share our values and interests."

Memorials to the fallen Marines - Pfc. Chad E. Bales, Lance Cpl. Joseph B. Maglione III, Cpl. Evan T. James and Sgt. Bradley S. Korthaus - included eulogies and a stark display of four inverted M16A2 service rifles, encircled by dog tags and topped with Kevlar helmets.

Bales, 20, of Coahoma, Texas, died April 3 in a vehicle collision during a sand drift. He is survived by his mother, Ginger Metcalf, and his father, Kern Bales.
Bales was accepted into the Marine Corps in March 2002 after being denied twice due to an injury.

"He was a dedicated and motivated Marine and loved God and country enough to make the ultimate sacrifice," Ginger Metcalf said.
Maglione, 22, of Abington, Penn., died of self-inflicted wounds on April 1 while in Camp Coyote, Kuwait. His mother, Rosemary Corr, and his father, Joseph B. Maglione II, survive him.

A reservist on the brink of becoming a full-time college student studying architectural engineering, he was called to active duty.
Maglione was "very talented," according to his mother. He played rugby and football, ran track, wrestled and practiced taekwondo.
James, 20, of Macomb, Ill., was also a reservist recalled to active duty. He drowned March 24 while crossing the Saddam Canal. He is survived by his parents, Donna and Mike James.

James became a local celebrity in his hometown when his picture was featured in the November issue of Muscle and Fitness Magazine.

"Evan has been described as responsible, determined, hardworking and a leader. These are the same qualities that led him to join the Marine Corps," Donna James said.

Korthaus, 28, of Davenport, Iowa, also drowned while crossing the Saddam Canal March 24. He is survived by his parents, Steve and Marilyn Korthaus.

"Bradley will forever live in out hearts, protecting all of us from heaven, just as he did in life as a great man, and as a true hero, a United States Marine," said Marilyn Korthaus.


Sempers,

Roger



http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/2003515164622/$file/memorial2low.jpg

Pfc. Pablo C. Castro, 19, a warehouse clerk, with Headquarters and Support Battalion, 1st Force Service Support Group, places a helmet on an inverted rifle to symbolize the loss of a fellow service member as part of a memorial ceremony held May 13 at the 11 Area Parade Field. The ceremony honored four Camp Pendleton Marines who died while deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. An estimated 1,100 service members and families turned out to remember the four 1st FSSG Marines.
Photo by: Lance Cpl. Matthew S. Richards