thedrifter
10-04-06, 07:40 AM
Military funeral in Osceola planned for Cpl. Aaron Seal.
JOSHUA STOWE
Tribune Staff Writer
SOUTH BEND -- Lance Cpl. Matt Blodgett smiles when he remembers how Cpl. Aaron Seal played a cleaning-day prank on him, leaving clothes strewn everywhere at a time when everything was supposed to be in its place.
But his smile quickly fades when he describes how he will accompany Seal's body from Dover, Del., to Osceola in preparation for Seal's military funeral.
Seal, 23, of Elkhart, was killed Sunday in Baghdad, Iraq, by sniper fire while serving with Engineer Company B, a Marine Reserve unit based in South Bend. He is the company's only casualty in Iraq, and had been in the country only a month.
Good memories
Now, as they prepare to bury Seal, Marines here are remembering the time they had with him."To deal with it, we've got plenty of Marines around here who knew him," Blodgett said Tuesday.
"Everybody's just talking about him and remembering the good things with him."
For Blodgett, that includes the prank that Seal pulled on him not so long ago at Camp Pendleton, Calif., where Engineer Company B was training before leaving for Iraq.
When he entered his room after stepping away, Blodgett immediately spotted a big mess. Then he heard Seal's laugh, and the pounding of his feet as he ran away.
"He was always smiling," Blodgett said. "He knew when to be serious, but he knew how to goof around, too. It's just too bad. He was a really good guy."Cpl. Louis Ruiz agreed. Knee problems prevented him from serving in Iraq this time, although he was with Engineer Company B on its previous mission.
"I feel bad that I wasn't there ... with him," he said, describing how he's slept only a few hours in the last couple of days. "It's kind of hard to try to come up with the right thing to say now, because it's a situation I've never been in before."
Ruiz spoke fondly of Seal and his sunny personality.
"He was a very easygoing person, a good friend," he said. "Most of the time, actually all of the time, he was pretty happy, and a good influence on everybody else. Hardly ever complained about anything."
A somber taskToday, Blodgett leaves for Dover, Del., where he will board a plane bearing Seal's body. The plane will fly from Dover to Chicago, where Marines and a hearse will be waiting to take the body to Osceola for a Friday visitation and a Saturday funeral.
Meanwhile, Marines are practicing every step of the funeral -- everything from folding the American flag properly to marching correctly to holding firearms.
"He was one of ours," said Maj. Celeste Ross. "He is family, and we are bound and determined to do things absolutely right, with all the honor and respect that is due to him. We'll just keep practicing and practicing it."
Ross met with Seal's family Tuesday to help with the arrangements.
"We will do everything we can," she said, "to make sure the family has as little to worry about as possible."
Ellie
JOSHUA STOWE
Tribune Staff Writer
SOUTH BEND -- Lance Cpl. Matt Blodgett smiles when he remembers how Cpl. Aaron Seal played a cleaning-day prank on him, leaving clothes strewn everywhere at a time when everything was supposed to be in its place.
But his smile quickly fades when he describes how he will accompany Seal's body from Dover, Del., to Osceola in preparation for Seal's military funeral.
Seal, 23, of Elkhart, was killed Sunday in Baghdad, Iraq, by sniper fire while serving with Engineer Company B, a Marine Reserve unit based in South Bend. He is the company's only casualty in Iraq, and had been in the country only a month.
Good memories
Now, as they prepare to bury Seal, Marines here are remembering the time they had with him."To deal with it, we've got plenty of Marines around here who knew him," Blodgett said Tuesday.
"Everybody's just talking about him and remembering the good things with him."
For Blodgett, that includes the prank that Seal pulled on him not so long ago at Camp Pendleton, Calif., where Engineer Company B was training before leaving for Iraq.
When he entered his room after stepping away, Blodgett immediately spotted a big mess. Then he heard Seal's laugh, and the pounding of his feet as he ran away.
"He was always smiling," Blodgett said. "He knew when to be serious, but he knew how to goof around, too. It's just too bad. He was a really good guy."Cpl. Louis Ruiz agreed. Knee problems prevented him from serving in Iraq this time, although he was with Engineer Company B on its previous mission.
"I feel bad that I wasn't there ... with him," he said, describing how he's slept only a few hours in the last couple of days. "It's kind of hard to try to come up with the right thing to say now, because it's a situation I've never been in before."
Ruiz spoke fondly of Seal and his sunny personality.
"He was a very easygoing person, a good friend," he said. "Most of the time, actually all of the time, he was pretty happy, and a good influence on everybody else. Hardly ever complained about anything."
A somber taskToday, Blodgett leaves for Dover, Del., where he will board a plane bearing Seal's body. The plane will fly from Dover to Chicago, where Marines and a hearse will be waiting to take the body to Osceola for a Friday visitation and a Saturday funeral.
Meanwhile, Marines are practicing every step of the funeral -- everything from folding the American flag properly to marching correctly to holding firearms.
"He was one of ours," said Maj. Celeste Ross. "He is family, and we are bound and determined to do things absolutely right, with all the honor and respect that is due to him. We'll just keep practicing and practicing it."
Ross met with Seal's family Tuesday to help with the arrangements.
"We will do everything we can," she said, "to make sure the family has as little to worry about as possible."
Ellie