thedrifter
05-23-09, 12:17 PM
Syracuse University midfielder to salute late Lance Cpl. Keith Ochsner in lacrosse Final Four
by Sarah Moses / The Post-Standard
Saturday May 23, 2009
SYRACUSE, NY -- As the Syracuse University men's lacrosse team takes on Duke today in the Final Four playoffs, one player will use the national venue to honor a friend and former high school teammate.
Senior midfielder Dan Hardy, a Tully High School graduate, will wear a black sticker with the red letters: "OX" on his helmet.
"I thought it would be a good way to honor a good friend and teammate," Hardy said.
Keith Ochsner, 22, an active duty U.S. Marine, died May 3 when he was home on leave. Ochsner, whose nickname in high school was "Ox," was an avid lacrosse and football player and played in leagues since he was 5 years old, his father Kenneth Ochsner said.
Hardy and Ochsner played together on the Tully's lacrosse team, which will also wear the stickers on their helmets as the team competes in the sectionals.
"We really are a brotherhood and I thought it was important to honor Ox," said Sol Bliss, Tully's varsity boys lacrosse coach. "A lot of the players knew him and others have heard about him."
Ochsner, who was stationed at Camp LeJeune in North Carolina, joined the Marines in April 2006. After completing boot camp he was deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in July 2006 for six months.
"He was proud to be a Marine," said Tom Vormwald, 22, a fellow Marine from Cincinnati, Ohio. "He always had a smile on his face."
Ochsner returned home to Tully on May 2 for the death of his great-grandfather. He was only to stay for a few days and return to Camp LeJeune where he was waiting deployment this summer.
When Ochsner arrived in Tully, he went out with his best friend Alex Carlton and returned to Carlton's home to sleep. But Ochsner never woke up. He died from severe pulmonary edema, according to his mother Jennifer Ochsner.
"We really don't know what happened," said his mother, who lives in Georgia with Ochsner's father and younger brother Robert. His sister Jacqueline lives in North Carolina.
Initial toxicology reports showed Ochsner had no drugs and minimal alcohol in his system when he died, his mother said.
"I would have rather have lost him in the war or doing one of his crazy stunts," she said. "At least than I would have known what happened."
More tests are being done to see what caused the condition, which caused his heart to slow and his lungs to fill up with fluid, Jennifer Ochsner said.
"He was the life of the party, loved to play pranks and was always smiling," his brother said. "He was more than a brother to me, he was everything to me."
Contact Sarah Moses at smoses@syracuse.com or 470-2298.
Ellie
by Sarah Moses / The Post-Standard
Saturday May 23, 2009
SYRACUSE, NY -- As the Syracuse University men's lacrosse team takes on Duke today in the Final Four playoffs, one player will use the national venue to honor a friend and former high school teammate.
Senior midfielder Dan Hardy, a Tully High School graduate, will wear a black sticker with the red letters: "OX" on his helmet.
"I thought it would be a good way to honor a good friend and teammate," Hardy said.
Keith Ochsner, 22, an active duty U.S. Marine, died May 3 when he was home on leave. Ochsner, whose nickname in high school was "Ox," was an avid lacrosse and football player and played in leagues since he was 5 years old, his father Kenneth Ochsner said.
Hardy and Ochsner played together on the Tully's lacrosse team, which will also wear the stickers on their helmets as the team competes in the sectionals.
"We really are a brotherhood and I thought it was important to honor Ox," said Sol Bliss, Tully's varsity boys lacrosse coach. "A lot of the players knew him and others have heard about him."
Ochsner, who was stationed at Camp LeJeune in North Carolina, joined the Marines in April 2006. After completing boot camp he was deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in July 2006 for six months.
"He was proud to be a Marine," said Tom Vormwald, 22, a fellow Marine from Cincinnati, Ohio. "He always had a smile on his face."
Ochsner returned home to Tully on May 2 for the death of his great-grandfather. He was only to stay for a few days and return to Camp LeJeune where he was waiting deployment this summer.
When Ochsner arrived in Tully, he went out with his best friend Alex Carlton and returned to Carlton's home to sleep. But Ochsner never woke up. He died from severe pulmonary edema, according to his mother Jennifer Ochsner.
"We really don't know what happened," said his mother, who lives in Georgia with Ochsner's father and younger brother Robert. His sister Jacqueline lives in North Carolina.
Initial toxicology reports showed Ochsner had no drugs and minimal alcohol in his system when he died, his mother said.
"I would have rather have lost him in the war or doing one of his crazy stunts," she said. "At least than I would have known what happened."
More tests are being done to see what caused the condition, which caused his heart to slow and his lungs to fill up with fluid, Jennifer Ochsner said.
"He was the life of the party, loved to play pranks and was always smiling," his brother said. "He was more than a brother to me, he was everything to me."
Contact Sarah Moses at smoses@syracuse.com or 470-2298.
Ellie