MONTROSS MARINE KILLED IN COMBAT
July 21, 2009 12:35 am

BY EMILY BATTLE


A Marine who lived in Montross died July 13 in combat in Afghanistan, according to the Department of Defense.

Gunnery Sgt. David Shane Spicer was an explosive ordnance disposal technician assigned to the 8th Engineer Support Battalion, Marine Expeditionary Force, at Camp Lejeune, N.C. He had been in Afghanistan since May.

Spicer was 33 years old.

Spicer was born in Dayton, Ohio, and went to high school in Zanesfield, Ohio, which is about 50 miles outside of Columbus.

He joined the Marines after graduating from high school in 1994.

According to Spicer's obituary, he was previously stationed at Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Division in Maryland. He and his wife, Katrina, had lived in Montross for a few years.

The couple have a 1-year-old daughter, Abigail, and a son on the way.

Spicer's brother, Tim Stacy, told The Columbus Dispatch that Spicer had previously been deployed to Iraq.

Spicer was posthumously promoted from staff sergeant to gunnery sergeant, Stacy told the Dispatch.

According to a report from WNCT-TV in Greenville, N.C., Spicer had been awarded the Joint Service Achievement Medal and Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.

He will be buried with full military honors at 1 p.m. Thursday in Arlington National Cemetery.

Emily Battle: 540/374-5413
Email: ebattle@freelancestar.com

Ellie