thedrifter
06-16-07, 06:07 AM
Marines salute eight who died in Iraq combat
'The honor roll of heroes' praised
By Bruce Lieberman
STAFF WRITER
June 16, 2007
CAMP PENDLETON
Sgt. Clinton W. Ahlquist, 23, was a tough, hard-headed squad leader from Scottsdale, Ariz., who played football and basketball and loved the Colorado mountains.
Lance Cpl. Emilian D. Sanchez, 20, was known for his unyielding friendship, a guy who liked nothing better than hanging out with his buddies.
The two Marines were among eight honored yesterday at a memorial service at Camp Pendleton by the Marine Corps' 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, 5th Marine Regiment, which returned from Iraq on May 30.
The 2/4, also known as the “Magnificent Bastards,” is assigned to the 5th Marine Regiment.
“These are the men who join the honor roll of heroes who build the noble legacy of the Corps and this battalion,” said Lt. Col. Jim Glynn, commanding officer of the 2/4.
“I want to reassure each and every family today that your Marine did not live nor did he die alone,” Glynn said.
“He was surrounded daily by his brothers who stand before you, who loved him dearly – brothers who cared for him far more deeply than my words can ever begin to convey. Brothers who would have readily given their own lives to save his.”
This was the unit's second tour in Iraq, a five-month mission in the dangerous Anbar province. During its last tour in 2004, the 2/4 lost 35 men.
At yesterday's service, empty combat boots and rifles topped with helmets stood atop eight wooden pedestals. At the base of each pedestal was a lifelike sketch of the fallen Marine.
Forty-five members of Sanchez's family traveled from Santa Ana Pueblo in New Mexico to honor him. Many were dressed in traditional American Indian dress. Several wept as they knelt before his memorial, touching his helmet and kissing his image.
Robert Garcia, Sanchez's cousin and a veteran of the Gulf War in 1991, said his cousin yearned to follow him into the military. The last time they spoke, Garcia said he appealed to Sanchez to keep his head down and follow his instincts.
Sanchez was killed Jan. 21 in Rutbah.
Ahlquist joined the Corps when he was 18. He was killed Feb. 20 near Ramadi. He leaves behind his fiancee, Morgan, and a baby girl, Ava, born May 29.
“We have no other children,” said his mother, Barbara Ahlquist. “We stopped with the best.”
The other six men of the 2/4 who were lost in Iraq were: Cpl. Dustin J. Libby, 22, of Mapleton, Maine; Lance Cpl. Andrew G. Matus, 19, of Chetek, Wis.; Lance Cpl. Anthony C. Melia, 20, of Thousand Oaks; Cpl. Richard O. Quill, III, 22, of Roswell, Ga.; Sgt. Maj. Joseph J. Ellis, 40, of Ashland, Ohio; and Lance Cpl. Steven M. Chavez, 20, of Hondo, N.M.
Bruce Lieberman: (760) 476-8205; bruce.lieberman@uniontrib.com
Ellie
'The honor roll of heroes' praised
By Bruce Lieberman
STAFF WRITER
June 16, 2007
CAMP PENDLETON
Sgt. Clinton W. Ahlquist, 23, was a tough, hard-headed squad leader from Scottsdale, Ariz., who played football and basketball and loved the Colorado mountains.
Lance Cpl. Emilian D. Sanchez, 20, was known for his unyielding friendship, a guy who liked nothing better than hanging out with his buddies.
The two Marines were among eight honored yesterday at a memorial service at Camp Pendleton by the Marine Corps' 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, 5th Marine Regiment, which returned from Iraq on May 30.
The 2/4, also known as the “Magnificent Bastards,” is assigned to the 5th Marine Regiment.
“These are the men who join the honor roll of heroes who build the noble legacy of the Corps and this battalion,” said Lt. Col. Jim Glynn, commanding officer of the 2/4.
“I want to reassure each and every family today that your Marine did not live nor did he die alone,” Glynn said.
“He was surrounded daily by his brothers who stand before you, who loved him dearly – brothers who cared for him far more deeply than my words can ever begin to convey. Brothers who would have readily given their own lives to save his.”
This was the unit's second tour in Iraq, a five-month mission in the dangerous Anbar province. During its last tour in 2004, the 2/4 lost 35 men.
At yesterday's service, empty combat boots and rifles topped with helmets stood atop eight wooden pedestals. At the base of each pedestal was a lifelike sketch of the fallen Marine.
Forty-five members of Sanchez's family traveled from Santa Ana Pueblo in New Mexico to honor him. Many were dressed in traditional American Indian dress. Several wept as they knelt before his memorial, touching his helmet and kissing his image.
Robert Garcia, Sanchez's cousin and a veteran of the Gulf War in 1991, said his cousin yearned to follow him into the military. The last time they spoke, Garcia said he appealed to Sanchez to keep his head down and follow his instincts.
Sanchez was killed Jan. 21 in Rutbah.
Ahlquist joined the Corps when he was 18. He was killed Feb. 20 near Ramadi. He leaves behind his fiancee, Morgan, and a baby girl, Ava, born May 29.
“We have no other children,” said his mother, Barbara Ahlquist. “We stopped with the best.”
The other six men of the 2/4 who were lost in Iraq were: Cpl. Dustin J. Libby, 22, of Mapleton, Maine; Lance Cpl. Andrew G. Matus, 19, of Chetek, Wis.; Lance Cpl. Anthony C. Melia, 20, of Thousand Oaks; Cpl. Richard O. Quill, III, 22, of Roswell, Ga.; Sgt. Maj. Joseph J. Ellis, 40, of Ashland, Ohio; and Lance Cpl. Steven M. Chavez, 20, of Hondo, N.M.
Bruce Lieberman: (760) 476-8205; bruce.lieberman@uniontrib.com
Ellie