thedrifter
06-11-09, 10:05 AM
Marine from Downey 'believed in fighting the good fight'
Joshua Whittle, 20, had wanted to join the military since 9-11.
By Phillip Zonkel, Staff Writer
Long Beach Press Telegram
Posted:06/10/2009 09:30:18 PM PDT
Crystal Vincent and her boyfriend, Carl Matson, had just purchased a Marine Corps flag to hang at their Fontana residence in honor of her son who was serving in the Marines when Vincent received a cell phone call asking her to return home.
When they arrived, Marine officials told the couple that her son, Lance Cpl. Joshua Whittle, 20, of Downey, had been killed in Afghanistan on Saturday.
"He was my angel," Vincent, 49, told the Press-Telegram on Tuesday. Whittle's biological father, Douglas Whittle, died about three years ago, Vincent said.
Matson, 47, Vincent's 15-year boyfriend and the man who raised Whittle, said, "Josh believed in fighting the good fight and supporting the underdog. That was his style."
Whittle was stationed at Marine Corps Base Hawaii and died while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan, the Department of Defense said.
His family said they were told by Marine officials that Whittle died from injuries sustained after stepping on a landmine. No other information about his death was available from Marine officials at press time.
Whittle was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, at Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.
Whittle, who enlisted in the Marines in June 2007, arrived at Marine Corps Base Hawaii in August and deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom about four weeks ago.
Helmand is home to a rapidly expanding base for 7,000 Marines. They are preparing to push deeper into the region, an insurgent stronghold and a haven for violent criminals controlling a massive opium-poppy industry, according to published reports.
Insurgents also are crossing into the province from Pakistan. Some 3,000 Marines are already deployed in the province, said the reports.
As of Tuesday, at least 630 members of the U.S. military had died in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan since the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, according to the Defense Department.
Of those, the military reports 465 were killed by hostile action.
Whittle grew up in Downey, and even during childhood, he exhibited Marine characteristics, Matson says.
"I saw Josh ride his first skateboard and fall off his first bike. He was a tough little guy," Matson said. "He was a little Marine then."
Jonathan Polgar, 23, of Downey was one of Whittle's best friends and invited Whittle to live with him and his family when Vincent and Matson moved to Fontana. Whittle wanted to finish high school in Downey instead, friends said. Whittle graduated from Columbus High School in 2007.
"Josh was really shy and quiet and wanted to have fun with his friends. He had good energy," Polgar said.
He and Whittle enjoyed skateboarding, bungee jumping and cliff jumping, Polgar said.
Whittle was motivated to join the Marines after 9-11, family and friends said.
"That's all he wanted to do since 9-11," Polgar said. "He felt he had to go out there and defend his country. Before that, he wanted to be a firefighter."
A funeral for Whittle is scheduled for 10 a.m. Monday at the Downey First Baptist Church, 8348 E. Third St. After the service, he will be buried at Riverside National Cemetery, 22495 Van Buren Blvd., Riverside.
phillip.zonkel@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1258
Ellie
Joshua Whittle, 20, had wanted to join the military since 9-11.
By Phillip Zonkel, Staff Writer
Long Beach Press Telegram
Posted:06/10/2009 09:30:18 PM PDT
Crystal Vincent and her boyfriend, Carl Matson, had just purchased a Marine Corps flag to hang at their Fontana residence in honor of her son who was serving in the Marines when Vincent received a cell phone call asking her to return home.
When they arrived, Marine officials told the couple that her son, Lance Cpl. Joshua Whittle, 20, of Downey, had been killed in Afghanistan on Saturday.
"He was my angel," Vincent, 49, told the Press-Telegram on Tuesday. Whittle's biological father, Douglas Whittle, died about three years ago, Vincent said.
Matson, 47, Vincent's 15-year boyfriend and the man who raised Whittle, said, "Josh believed in fighting the good fight and supporting the underdog. That was his style."
Whittle was stationed at Marine Corps Base Hawaii and died while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan, the Department of Defense said.
His family said they were told by Marine officials that Whittle died from injuries sustained after stepping on a landmine. No other information about his death was available from Marine officials at press time.
Whittle was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, at Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.
Whittle, who enlisted in the Marines in June 2007, arrived at Marine Corps Base Hawaii in August and deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom about four weeks ago.
Helmand is home to a rapidly expanding base for 7,000 Marines. They are preparing to push deeper into the region, an insurgent stronghold and a haven for violent criminals controlling a massive opium-poppy industry, according to published reports.
Insurgents also are crossing into the province from Pakistan. Some 3,000 Marines are already deployed in the province, said the reports.
As of Tuesday, at least 630 members of the U.S. military had died in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan since the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, according to the Defense Department.
Of those, the military reports 465 were killed by hostile action.
Whittle grew up in Downey, and even during childhood, he exhibited Marine characteristics, Matson says.
"I saw Josh ride his first skateboard and fall off his first bike. He was a tough little guy," Matson said. "He was a little Marine then."
Jonathan Polgar, 23, of Downey was one of Whittle's best friends and invited Whittle to live with him and his family when Vincent and Matson moved to Fontana. Whittle wanted to finish high school in Downey instead, friends said. Whittle graduated from Columbus High School in 2007.
"Josh was really shy and quiet and wanted to have fun with his friends. He had good energy," Polgar said.
He and Whittle enjoyed skateboarding, bungee jumping and cliff jumping, Polgar said.
Whittle was motivated to join the Marines after 9-11, family and friends said.
"That's all he wanted to do since 9-11," Polgar said. "He felt he had to go out there and defend his country. Before that, he wanted to be a firefighter."
A funeral for Whittle is scheduled for 10 a.m. Monday at the Downey First Baptist Church, 8348 E. Third St. After the service, he will be buried at Riverside National Cemetery, 22495 Van Buren Blvd., Riverside.
phillip.zonkel@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1258
Ellie