thedrifter
02-10-09, 08:16 AM
Bridgewater man says goodbye to Marine brother a day after finishing boot camp
By Kyle Alspach
GateHouse News Service
Posted Feb 10, 2009 @ 03:53 AM
Last update Feb 10, 2009 @ 07:40 AM
BRIDGEWATER —
Dan Preach finished the grueling last stage of Marine boot camp on Friday but had to do something far tougher the next day: say goodbye to his brother.
Marine Lance Cpl. Kevin Preach, who helped inspire his brother to become a Marine, died Saturday from injuries sustained in Afghanistan. He was 21.
Kevin was being kept on life support until his 18-year-old brother, Dan, could see him one last time, said Jonathan Benson of Bridgewater, a close friend.
It was an emotional last day.
“It’s the hardest thing for (Dan) — that when he became a Marine, that’s when his brother passed away,” Benson said.
Dan Preach had been in the midst of basic training at Parris Island, S.C., when he learned his brother had been severely injured when his Humvee was hit by an improvised explosive device on Jan. 24. Kevin Preach lost both legs and a hand and suffered severe burns.
In the same week, soldiers from Rockland and Swansea died in accidents in Iraq. Since the war began, 75 servicemen and woman from Massachusetts have been killed.
Amid the tragedy, Dan stuck with the basic training and on Friday finished the final test — “the Crucible,” a 54-hour endurance test in which Marine recruits survive on just three meals and four hours of sleep.
Exhausted, he flew that night to Texas to see Kevin, who was in a medically-induced coma at a military hospital in San Antonio.
Dan and his mother, Laurie Hayes, decided not to keep him on life support any longer, and Kevin died that night after the family had left the hospital, Benson said.
Benson said he spoke to Dan, a longtime friend, on Sunday.
“We both cried on the phone,” said Benson, 18.
Dan is spending this week at Parris Island, finishing up paperwork before graduation from basic training on Friday, Benson said. The funeral for his brother won’t be held until he returns to Massachusetts, Benson said.
Dan will serve as a reservist for the Marines, meaning he won’t be on active duty, as his brother had been — though he can still be called into service overseas.
Though shaken by his brother’s death, he has no plans to try to leave the Marines, Benson said.
On his Facebook.com page, Dan left a message for his brother: “RIP bro,” “I’ll make you proud don’t worry Kev,” and finally, “I love you.”
Dan Preach attended Williams Intermediate School in Bridgewater and graduated from Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical School in 2008.
When he decided he wanted to join the military, he settled on the Marines because of his brother and father, who’d also served as a Marine before being killed in a car crash, Benson said.
Benson said the Preach brothers have had a major influence on his own life, and he is about to head into the Marines himself. His basic training starts at Parris Island in August and he will be placed on active duty, giving him a high likelihood of deployment overseas.
Videos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLED-WoiqrY&eurl=http://www.patriotledger.com/news/state_news/x494344977/VIDEO-EXTRA-Bridgewater-man-says-goodbye-to-Marine-brother-a-day-after
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDOri71u7fc&eurl=http://www.patriotledger.com/news/state_news/x494344977/VIDEO-EXTRA-Bridgewater-man-says-goodbye-to-Marine-brother-a-day-after
Ellie
By Kyle Alspach
GateHouse News Service
Posted Feb 10, 2009 @ 03:53 AM
Last update Feb 10, 2009 @ 07:40 AM
BRIDGEWATER —
Dan Preach finished the grueling last stage of Marine boot camp on Friday but had to do something far tougher the next day: say goodbye to his brother.
Marine Lance Cpl. Kevin Preach, who helped inspire his brother to become a Marine, died Saturday from injuries sustained in Afghanistan. He was 21.
Kevin was being kept on life support until his 18-year-old brother, Dan, could see him one last time, said Jonathan Benson of Bridgewater, a close friend.
It was an emotional last day.
“It’s the hardest thing for (Dan) — that when he became a Marine, that’s when his brother passed away,” Benson said.
Dan Preach had been in the midst of basic training at Parris Island, S.C., when he learned his brother had been severely injured when his Humvee was hit by an improvised explosive device on Jan. 24. Kevin Preach lost both legs and a hand and suffered severe burns.
In the same week, soldiers from Rockland and Swansea died in accidents in Iraq. Since the war began, 75 servicemen and woman from Massachusetts have been killed.
Amid the tragedy, Dan stuck with the basic training and on Friday finished the final test — “the Crucible,” a 54-hour endurance test in which Marine recruits survive on just three meals and four hours of sleep.
Exhausted, he flew that night to Texas to see Kevin, who was in a medically-induced coma at a military hospital in San Antonio.
Dan and his mother, Laurie Hayes, decided not to keep him on life support any longer, and Kevin died that night after the family had left the hospital, Benson said.
Benson said he spoke to Dan, a longtime friend, on Sunday.
“We both cried on the phone,” said Benson, 18.
Dan is spending this week at Parris Island, finishing up paperwork before graduation from basic training on Friday, Benson said. The funeral for his brother won’t be held until he returns to Massachusetts, Benson said.
Dan will serve as a reservist for the Marines, meaning he won’t be on active duty, as his brother had been — though he can still be called into service overseas.
Though shaken by his brother’s death, he has no plans to try to leave the Marines, Benson said.
On his Facebook.com page, Dan left a message for his brother: “RIP bro,” “I’ll make you proud don’t worry Kev,” and finally, “I love you.”
Dan Preach attended Williams Intermediate School in Bridgewater and graduated from Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical School in 2008.
When he decided he wanted to join the military, he settled on the Marines because of his brother and father, who’d also served as a Marine before being killed in a car crash, Benson said.
Benson said the Preach brothers have had a major influence on his own life, and he is about to head into the Marines himself. His basic training starts at Parris Island in August and he will be placed on active duty, giving him a high likelihood of deployment overseas.
Videos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLED-WoiqrY&eurl=http://www.patriotledger.com/news/state_news/x494344977/VIDEO-EXTRA-Bridgewater-man-says-goodbye-to-Marine-brother-a-day-after
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDOri71u7fc&eurl=http://www.patriotledger.com/news/state_news/x494344977/VIDEO-EXTRA-Bridgewater-man-says-goodbye-to-Marine-brother-a-day-after
Ellie