Scottsbluff Marine dies in Afghanistan

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Scottsbluff Marine dies in Afghanistan
BY CORY MATTESON / Lincoln Journal Star
Friday, Oct 24, 2008 - 08:15:28 pm CDT

A Scottsbluff Marine died Wednesday while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

Cpl. Adrian Robles died while supporting combat operations in Afghanistan’s Helmand province. He was 21.

Robles was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif. He deployed to Afghanistan in early spring to help train Afghan forces to fend for themselves in the volatile region.

But the mission changed, 1st Lt. Curtis Williamson of the 1st Marine Division said. Robles, a rifleman, and the rest of 2/7 became part of a combat-centered battalion. The situation called for it, Williamson said, and the battalion responded.

“It should definitely be noted that they’re really in the fight,” Williamson said.

Robles knew he wanted to be a Marine before he graduated from Scottsbluff High School. His senior year, he went out for the soccer team, even though he’d barely played the sport before.

His coach, Pedro Sulu, said Robles told him he wanted to play because the conditioning would give him a head start on what the Marines would expect from him.

“We had to help him learn some of the skills, and he became one of our goalkeepers,” Sulu said. “He was always willing to learn, and very enthusiastic.”

During his service, Robles was deployed twice. He earned medals for his Afghanistan and Iraq campaigns, as well as Global War on Terrorism and National Defense Service medals. He also earned three Marine Corps Good Conduct medals.

Robles is also one of at least 55 U.S. service members with Nebraska connections who have died in Afghanistan or Iraq since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

“I want to express our deepest condolences to (Robles’) family and friends,” Williamson said.

Reach Cory Matteson at 473-7438 or cmatteson@journalstar.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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