Memorial Day-Marines of the Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalions

Marine Lance Cpl. Kevin E. Oratowski
23, of Wheaton, Ill.; assigned to 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died Aug. 18 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. link

Marine Lance Cpl. Shane R. Martin

July 29, 2010
23, of Spring, Texas; assigned to 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died July 29 ... [Read More]

Marine Cpl. Jacob C. Leicht

May 27, 2010
24, of College Station, Texas; assigned to the 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.;... [Read More]

Marine Sgt. Frank J. World

April 01, 2010
25, of Buffalo, N.Y.; assigned to the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died April 1... [Read More]

Marine Lance Cpl. Randy M. Heck

March 28, 2010
20, of Steubenville, Ohio; assigned to the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Ma... [Read More]

Marine Lance Cpl. Rick J. Centanni

March 24, 2010
19, of Yorba Linda, Calif.; assigned to the 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 4thMarine Division, Marine Forces Reserve, based out of Camp Pendleton, Calif.;... [Read More]

Marine Sgt. Maj. Robert J. Cottle

March 24, 2010
45, of Whittier, Calif.; assigned to the 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 4thMarine Division, Marine Forces Reserve, based out of Camp Pendleton, Calif.; d... [Read More]

Marine Lance Cpl. Nigel K. Olsen

March 04, 2010
21, of Orem, Utah; assigned to the 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died March 4 in Hel... [Read More]

Marine Lance Cpl. Carlos A. Aragon

March 01, 2010
19, of Orem, Utah; assigned to 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve, based out of Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died March... [Read More]

Marine Sgt. David J. Smith

January 26, 2010
25, of Frederick, Md.; assigned to 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve, based out of Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died J... [Read More]

Marine Lance Cpl. Zachary D. Smith

January 24, 2010
19, of Hornell, N.Y.; assigned to 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Jan. 24 while suppo... [Read More]

Marine Lance Cpl. Timothy J. Poole

January 24, 2010
22, of Bowling Green, Ky.; assigned to 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii; died Jan. 24 whil... [Read More]

Marine Sgt. Daniel M. Angus

January 24, 2010
28, of Thonotosassa, Fla.; assigned to 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Jan. 24 while ... [Read More]

Marine Lance Cpl. Jeremy M. Kane

January 23, 2010
22, of Towson, Md.; assigned to 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve, based out of Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died Jan.... [Read More]

Navy Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Xin Qi

January 23, 2010
25, of Cordova, Tenn.; assigned to 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, Marine Expeditionary Brigade–Afghanistan; died Jan. 23, while supporting combat o... [Read More]

Navy Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Xin Qi

January 23, 2010
25, of Cordova, Tenn.; assigned to Fourth Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, Marine Expeditionary Brigade-Afghanistan; died Jan. 23, while supporting combat oper... [Read More]

October 9, 2009

Major Mike E. Weston, former XO B4LAR, died in western Afghanistan on 26 October 2009, when the U.S. Military helicopter he was in crashed while returning from a joint U.S. Military-DEA counternarcotics mission in western Afghanistan. In August 2006, after only nine months in the United States, Major Mike Weston volunteered for his third combat tour to Iraq, where he served as the Executive Officer for Company B, 4^th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion. There, he served in Ramadi and commanded a Provisional Riverine Detachment and later served as advisor to the Iraqi Police.

Marine Lance Cpl. Christopher S. Fowlkes

September 10, 2009
20, of Gaffney, S.C.; assigned to 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C.;... [Read More]

Navy Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Benjamin P. Castiglione

September 03, 2009
21, of Howell, Mich.; was assigned to the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Sep... [Read More]

Marine Lance Cpl. Christopher S. Baltazar Jr.

September 03, 2009
19, of San Antonio; was assigned to 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Sept. 3 w... [Read More]

Marine Sgt. Ryan H. Lane

July 23, 2009
25, of Pittsburgh; assigned to the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died July 23 in... [Read More]

Marine Gunnery Sgt. David S. Spicer

July 13, 2009
33, of Zanesfield, Ohio; assigned to 8th Engineer Support Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune,... [Read More]

Marine Master Sgt. Jerome D. Hatfield

July 11, 2009
36, of Axton, Va.; assigned to 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C

Marine Lance Cpl. Pedro A. Barbozaflores

July 11, 2009
27, of Glendale, Calif.; assigned to 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died July 11 ... [Read More]

Marine Lance Cpl. Drew W. Weaver

February 21, 2008
20, of St. Charles, Mo.; assigned to the 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif.; died... [Read More]

Marine Lance Cpl. Cristian Vasquez

August 02, 2007
20, of Coalinga, Calif.; assigned to1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died Aug. 2... [Read More]

Marine Sgt. Chad M. Allen

February 28, 2007
25, of Maple Lake, Minn.; assigned to 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Feb. 28... [Read More]

Marine 2nd Lt. Mark C. Gelina

November 04, 2006
33, of Moberly, Mo.; assigned to the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Nov. 4 f... [Read More]

Marine Cpl. Benjamin S. Rosales

October 04, 2006
20, of Houston; assigned to 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; killed Oct. 4 while co... [Read More]

Marine Lance Cpl. Edward M. Garvin

October 04, 2006
19, of Malden, Mass.; assigned to 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; killed Oct. 4 wh... [Read More]

Marine Lance Cpl. Shane P. Harris

September 03, 2006
23, of Las Vegas, N.M.; assigned to 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif.; killed Se... [Read More]

Marine Lance Cpl. Randy L. Newman

August 20, 2006
21, of Bend, Ore.; assigned to 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif.; killed Aug. 20... [Read More]

Marine Cpl. Adam A. Galvez

August 20, 2006
21, of Salt Lake City; assigned to 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif.; killed Aug... [Read More]

Navy Hospitalman Chadwick T. Kenyon

August 20, 2006
20, of Tucson, Ariz.; assigned to 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif.; died Aug. 2... [Read More]

Marine Pfc. Jason Hanson

July 29, 2006
21, of Forks, Wash.; assigned to 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif.; killed July ... [Read More]

Marine Sgt. Christian B. Williams

July 29, 2006
27, of Winter Haven, Fla.; assigned to 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif.; killed... [Read More]

Marine Lance Cpl. Anthony E. Butterfield

July 29, 2006
19, of Clovis, Calif.; assigned to 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif.; killed Jul... [Read More]

Marine Cpl. Phillip E. Baucus

July 29, 2006
28, of Wolf Creek, Mont.; assigned to 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif.; killed ... [Read More]

Marine Lance Cpl. Jeremy P. Tamburello

November 08, 2005
19, of Denver, Colo., assigned to the 1st Light Armor Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died Nov. 8 fro... [Read More]

Marine Lance Cpl. Chad R. Hildebrandt

October 17, 2005
22, of Springer, N.M.; assigned to the 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; attached... [Read More]

Marine Lance Cpl. Daniel Scott R. Bubb

October 17, 2005
19, of Grottoes, Va.; assigned to the 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; attached ... [Read More]

Marine Sgt. Bryan J. Opskar

July 23, 2005
32, of Princeton, Minn.; assigned to the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; killed Ju... [Read More]

Marine Cpl. Clifton B. Mounce

July 14, 2005
22, of Pontotoc, Miss.; assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; attached to 2nd L... [Read More]

Marine Cpl. Christopher D. Winchester

July 14, 2005
23, of Flomaton, Ala.; assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; attached to 2nd Li... [Read More]

Marine Corps Pfc. Nathan B. Clemons

June 14, 2005
20, of Winchester, Tenn.; assigned to the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; killed J... [Read More]

Marine Lance Cpl. John J. Mattek Jr.

June 13, 2005
24, of Stevens Point, Wis.; assigned to the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 2, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp... [Read More]

Marine Lance Cpl. Tenzin Dengkhim

April 02, 2005
19, of Falls Church, Va.; assigned to the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; killed A... [Read More]

Marine Sgt. Zachariah S. Davis

January 06, 2005
25, of Twentynine Palms, Calif.; assigned to the 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif.&#... [Read More]

Marine Lance Cpl. Jason E. Smith

December 31, 2004
21, of Phoenix; assigned to 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; killed Dec. 31 by e... [Read More]

Marine Lance Cpl. Blake A. Magaoay

November 29, 2004
20, of Pearl City, Hawaii; assigned to 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; killed N... [Read More]

Marine Staff Sgt. Theodore S. Holder II

Died November 11, 2004 serving during Operation Iraqi Freedom

27, of Littleton, Colo.; assigned to 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; killed Nov 11 by enemy action in Anbar province, Iraq.

Marine Lance Cpl. Kyle W. Burns

November 11, 2004
20, of Laramie, Wyo.; assigned to 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; killed Nov 11... [Read More]

Marine Lance Cpl. Justin D. Reppuhn

November 10, 2004
20, of Hemlock, Mich.; assigned to 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; killed Nov. ... [Read More]

Marine Lance Cpl. Jonathan E. Gadsden

October 22, 2004
21, of Charleston, S.C.;( Wounded 21 August, 2004 in al Anbar Province, Iraq and succumbed to those injuries 22 October 2004 He was attached to 1st LAR at the time of his injuries but was with 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1 Marine Division.. ) assigned to 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died Oct. 22 at the Jam... [Read More]

Marine Sgt. Jason Cook

August 21, 2004
25, of Okanogan, Wash.; assigned to 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; killed Aug.... [Read More]

Marine Pfc. Nachez Washalanta

August 21, 2004
21, of Bryan, Okla.; assigned to 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; killed Aug. 21... [Read More]

Marine Lance Cpl. Mark E. Engel

July 21, 2004
21, of Grand Junction, Colo.; assigned to 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died J... [Read More]

Marine Lance Cpl. Scott E. Dougherty

July 06, 2004
20, of Bradenton Fla.; assigned to 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C.; killed July 6... [Read More]

Marine Lance Cpl. Justin T. Hunt

July 06, 2004
22, of Riverside, Calif.; assigned to 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died July 6 ... [Read More]

Marine Cpl. Jeffrey D. Lawrence

July 06, 2004
22, of Tucson, Ariz.; assigned to 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died July 6 fr... [Read More]

Marine Pfc. Rodricka A. Youmans

July 06, 2004
22, of Allendale, S.C.; assigned to 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C.; killed July ... [Read More]

Marine Lance Cpl. Timothy R. Creager

July 01, 2004
21, of Millington, Tenn.; assigned to 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; killed July ... [Read More]

Marine Lance Cpl. Jeremy L. Bohlman

June 07, 2004
21, of Sioux Falls, S.D.; assigned to 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; killed Ju... [Read More]

Marine Staff Sgt. Jorge A. Molinabautista

May 23, 2004
37, of Rialto, Calif.; assigned to 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; killed by ... [Read More]

Marine Cpl. Rudy Salas

May 20, 2004
20, of Baldwin Park, Calif.; assigned to 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; killed... [Read More]

Marine Cpl. Ronald R. Payne Jr.

May 07, 2004
23, of Lakeland, Fla.; assigned to 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, at Camp Lejeune, N.C.; killed May 7, 2004, by... [Read More]

Marine Corps Cpl. Scott M. Vincent

April 30, 2004
21, of Bokoshe, Okla.; assigned to 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, at Camp Lejeune, N.C.; killed in ac... [Read More]

Marine Cpl. Nicholas J. Dieruf

April 08, 2004
21, of Versailles, Ky.; assigned to 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; killed Apri... [Read More]

Marine Lance Cpl. Gregory E. MacDonald

June 25, 2003
29, of Washington, D.C.; assigned to Bravo Company, 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, Frederick, Md.; died when the light armored vehicle he was traveling i... [Read More]

Marine Cpl. Douglas Jose Marenco Reyes

May 18, 2003
28, of Chino, Calif.; assigned to Light Armored Vehicle-Air Defense Battery, 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; ... [Read More]

Marine Pfc. Christian D. Gurtner

April 02, 2003
19, of Ohio City, Ohio; assigned to the 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, Calif.&#... [Read More]

Marine Lance Cpl. Brian E. Anderson

April 02, 2003
26, of Durham, N.C.; assigned to the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; killed in a non-hostile vehicle accident wes... [Read More]

Marine Lance Cpl. Jesus A. Suarez del Solar

March 27, 2003
20, of Escondido, Calif.; assigned to 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; killed in action in Iraq.* * * ... [Read More]

Marine Corps Pfc. James R. Dillon Jr.

March 13, 2003
19 of Grove City Pa.; assigned to B Company, 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, Twentynine Palms, Calif.; killed as a result of a self-i... [Read More]

Family of Fallen greets Charlie 4LAR Return home

Salt Lake Tribune This was the day she was waiting for. Longing for. Praying for. So Kim Olsen rose early Saturday morning to approach it the way she had always intended. She would be there as her son's company arrived home from Afghanistan. She would lift banners. She would wave flags. She would bathe in the joy of their safe return. That, she knew, is what her boy would have wanted of her. -- Flag-draped casket » Nigel Olsen understood the stakes of war. As the plane in which he was riding took off from California, on the first leg of a days-long journey to Afghanistan last fall, the 20-year-old Marine opened a leather-bound journal and began to write. Once in country, the shy and soft-spoken warrior sometimes went weeks between phone calls home. In her last conversation with her son, Kim Olsen complained that she didn't want to find out something had gone wrong in a phone call from Germany, where the Army medical center treats military members evacuated from the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan. Her son assured her if anything were to happen she would not find out in a phone call. The Marines, he told her, would come to her. "And that's exactly what happened," she said. A few days later her son's body arrived home in a flag-draped casket. A few weeks later, his belongings arrived in four footlockers. Inside, she found books, clothes, his dog tags, a journal and dozens of photographs from his time with Charlie Company of the 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion. Kim Olsen understood that the homecoming she had hoped for was not to be. And she accepted that, content in a faith that told her that this separation was only temporary. But still, something was missing. -- 'Top-notch Marine' » The visits began soon after the funeral. Charlie Company Marines, wounded and sent home to recover, arrived at the Olsen family home in Salem near Payson to share stories. Todd Olsen had long known that he helped raise his son to be a good man. "What we learned," the father said. "Is that he was a top-notch Marine, too." In the midst of the parents' grief, the admiration of Nigel's fellow Marines was sustaining. "All we have now is memories," Kim Olsen said. "So their memories are very important to us." -- Too much to bear » Regardless of what joys it might bring, however, the homecoming promised to be painful, as well. In the days before the unit's return, they had called the family of Carlos Aragon, a Charlie Company comrade who had been killed two days before Nigel in Afghanistan's volatile Helmand Province, to ask whether they wished to join them in welcoming the Marines home. Aragon's stepfather, Brad Halliday, declined the offer, saying he didn't think he could bear the experience. "And certainly, we understood that," Todd Olsen said. -- 'He's not coming home' » The charter plane carrying the Charlie Company Marines had not yet touched down at Salt Lake City International Airport, when the family arrived at the unit's headquarters on a bluff overlooking the southern Salt Lake Valley. As they waited the Marines' return, they mingled with parents, spouses, sons, daughters and friends who had come in anticipation of happier reunions. They were met with hugs and tears, prayers and gratitude, but also by some who simply did not know who they were or why they were there. "Would you like a rose to give to your family member?" a woman asked, offering a flower from an orange bucket brimming with buds. The question was met with an uncomfortable silence, finally broken by Nigel's sister, Stacy Hansen. "He's not coming home," she said. -- Laughter and tears » They took a position on a raised deck, the same place Kim Olsen had stood last summer as she waved goodbye to her son. "This is the last place I saw him alive," she said. And yet, she said, it felt like the right place to be. As the Marine's bus finally arrived, the crowd below rushed toward the vehicle, whooping with joy, calling out names. The door hissed open. The warriors rushed into the crowd, crashing into their loved ones. Hugging. Kissing. Sobbing. Babies were lifted into their fathers' arms. Mothers embraced their sons. There was handshaking and backslapping, laughter and tears. There was joy. Kim Olsen watched from above. Eyes watering. Chin trembling. But smiling. -- To help her remember » The first Marine to spot the grieving mother was Nigel Olsen's platoon commander, Mark Empey. He bolted up the stairs and into Kim Olsen's arms. "Thank you," he said quietly. "Thank you so much." And then, one by one, dozens upon dozens of Marines lined up to embrace the grieving family, sharing gratitude and telling stories -- and promising more to come. Olsen made each Marine promise to come and see her again. To help her remember the son she lost. To laugh with her and to grieve with her. And each promised to do just that. That, they knew, is what Nigel would have wanted. "Well, it begins at last," he scribbled. "About a half an hour ago, the plane took off. As we left the ground, I wondered if I'll ever see the U.S. again." They told the grieving parents of a young man admired for the meticulous way he had approached his duties, the honest way in which he had lived his life and the selfless way he had served the Corps. "But there's strength in numbers," Kim Olsen said as she prepared to leave her home Saturday morning to pick up three of Nigel's siblings, a niece and a nephew en route to Camp Williams.

Charlie 4LAR Bittersweet Return Home Without Lance Cpls. Carlos A. Aragon and Nigel Olsen

Deseret NewsBLUFFDALE — There were hugs, kisses and tears as family and friends welcomed home 105 Marines of Charlie Company of the 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion on Saturday morning.

But the reunion at Camp Williams, where the company is based, was bittersweet because of the two marines who didn't return.

The first week in March, Lance Cpls. Carlos A. Aragon and Nigel Olsen were killed in the volatile Helmand province in Afghanistan in separate attacks. Both were graduates of Mountain View High School in Orem.

Saturday morning, Kim Olsen, Nigel Olsen's mother, accepted hugs and condolences from many of the Marines as the tears flowed freely.

"I am really excited to have these guys come home," she said. "They are all my children now. If I can't hug my son, I am going to hug all the others."

Charlie Company was returning after a seven-month deployment in Afghanistan.

Cpl. David Talbot, who had been sent home after being injured by an improvised explosive device two days after Aragon was killed, was happy to see the rest of the company return.

"I have been waiting for this since I came here," Talbot said. "I am excited to be going home."

B4 LAR Returns HOME!!!!

Frederick Marine reservists welcomed home
Originally published May 30, 2010


By Megan Eckstein
News-Post Staff
Navy Hospital Corpsman HM2 (FMF) Chris Schumacher walked off a bus Saturday evening into a sea of people waiting for the local Marine reserve company to return home.

Waiting for him was his son, Jonathan, who was born a month and a half after he deployed to Afghanistan last fall.

"There's no way to describe it," Schumacher said of holding his baby for the first time.

His wife, Christy, said she was nervous about Jonathan getting upset when the buses pulled up and everyone started yelling. But Jonathan was well-behaved when his father held him for the first time.

"He kept it together, he was good," Christy Schumacher said. "I cried, Chris cried, but Jonathan didn't, so that's all that mattered."

The 117 returning Marines and sailors of the 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion's Company B were greeted by more than a thousand relatives and friends at the Elks Lodge. The Marine Corps League and more than 20 local civic and veterans associations paid for food, drinks, a moon bounce and more to make the day special for the Marines and sailors and their families, said Sgt. William Wolbert, who helped organize the event.

Tommy Grunwell, chief of staff for the Maryland Department of the Marine Corps League who organized the volunteers and monetary donations to make the event possible, said he was proud of the support the community has shown for the returning Marines.

Company B arrived at Camp Pendleton in California early Wednesday, and the Marines had several classes to sit through before flying to Baltimore Washington International Airport on Saturday afternoon.

"It was a long wait in California, and when we finally got on the plane this morning it was just one of those things that went real quick," said Staff Sgt. Jeremiah Nelson, 27. "And now, it feels like a dream almost."

"I have been praying for this moment since they left," said his mother, Maureen Nelson. Another of Nelson's sons, Staff Sgt. Brian Nelson, also deployed with Company B. "I'm just so glad they're home safe."

The teary reunions couldn't come soon enough. Navy Hospital Corpsman HM2 (FMF) Bryan Bambach said the trip from California to Maryland was the easy part of the deployment, but his wife, Jennifer, said "it felt like the longest day of my life."

"We didn't really say anything, we just held each other for a few minutes" when Bryan got off the bus, Jennifer Bambach said. "I was shaking, so I was really trying not to fall down or throw up or anything."

As happy a day as it was for the returning Marines and sailors, the men who didn't make it home were on the minds of many people who attended the homecoming event. A January attack left three dead and three more sent back home with severe injuries.

Sgt. David Smith of Frederick , Lance Cpl. Jeremy Kane of Cherry Hill, N.J., and Petty Officer 2nd Class Xin Qi of Cordova, Tenn., died in the attack. Cpl. George O'Sullivan, Lance Cpl. Michael Hoey and Lance Cpl. Kevin Miller, who were wounded in the attack, met the rest of their company at the airport and joined them on the last stretch of their trip back to their families.

Jill Carey, the wife of Maj. Dave Carey, said the casualties made this deployment much harder on her husband than his earlier deployment to Iraq.

Carey said she was feeling "every emotion. A little nervous. I'm excited. My respect and my love for him has grown so much."

Most of all, though, she is happy to give her husband back his wedding ring. He wore a cheap ring while in Afghanistan, and she kept his nice ring on a chain around her neck the whole seven months.

"It's right here next to my heart," she said. "I kiss it every night."

Cecelia Nichols, wife of Sgt. David Shane Nichols, said she kept herself sane during the deployment by serving as the family readiness volunteer with the company, helping the Marine families with any problems that arose and planning family events. She said the job was rewarding but she is thrilled the Marines are finally back.

"It's been arduous -- very slow, very painstaking," Sgt. Nichols said of the journey back to Maryland. "It's like every time we had a line to stand in or something got delayed, it just felt like (the homecoming) was getting longer. But it's finally here."

Asked if seeing Cecelia was worth the wait, he quickly replied it was "well worth it."

Obama _plays Hookey- No Time For American Heroes

Tomorrow Is Memorial Day. Each year, about this time, we try to remember of our fallen despite the din of super department store sales and the excited feverish start to summer time pleasures. This cacophony, rendered at the same time as remembrance day, has always struck me as a bit odd but still our custom. I say odd because some of our fallen heros are not abstract ideas to me. Some of them were me mates. Killed at the first prime of life. Their loss is bitter and not a fit subject for sales and cavorting and Yet, I am fully aware that we are Americans, an exceptional example to the world and first among nations and our rapid jet stream of life bides for no one. Not even someone like me who can still recall how these men looked like and sounded like even though in my mind's eye that are still young and 20 something and unlike my mates am 43 years older. Though I may understand I was nonetheless surprised at my unprintable reaction when the news came that Obama will not be at Arlington. ____. Our first Muslim President is running up to Chi-City to hang with his bros and catch some chill time. I guess paying the nation's respects to our fallen is not a good enough prop when it interferes with the ones vacation plans.

KIA-Bravo, H&S, and Delta, One Five -September 04, 1967-from one f-ing bad day, 43 years ago, in Quang Nam Province, South Vietnam:

Bobby Gene Kinkle

Lance Corporal
B CO, 1ST BN, 5TH MARINES,

Curtis Mitchell Private First Class
B CO, 1ST BN, 5TH MARINES,

Oswaldo Luis Miranda

Lance Corporal
B CO, 1ST BN, 5TH MARINES,

Foster Bishop Miller

Corporal
D CO, 1ST BN, 5TH MARINES,

Keith Francis Sharp

Private First Class
B CO, 1ST BN, 5TH MARINES,

Leslie Vernard Hurlebaus

Corporal
D CO, 1ST BN, 5TH MARINES

Robert Ray Mooney

Lance Corporal
H&S CO, 1ST BN, 5TH MARINES,

Robert Francis Morgan

Captain
D CO, 1ST BN, 5TH MARINES,

Cpl. Jacob C. Leicht, KIA-First LAR-Afghanistan

DOD Announcement:
Cpl. Jacob C. Leicht, 24, of College Station, Texas, died May 27 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

War Pig Mud

Charlie Company, 3rd LAR War Pig in deep mud during Operation Desert Siege, Feb. 11, 2008.
photo Cpl. Tyler Hill

Lance Cpl. Sean P. Mitchell, 3rd Platoon, Charlie Company, 3rd LAR

Searching for weapons caches Operation Desert Siege, Al Anbar Province, Iraq, February 11, 2008. photo Cpl. Tyler Hill

Operation Junk Shot Part Dos

Latest BP Hail Mary Pass to Plug Leak Fails


Drudge Reports:BP now throwing GOLF BALLS down oil well. Wait a wee. Don't get excited. Using clogging material is standard SOP in drilling. OK. For example, on one of our loser water wells Drudge Reports would have headlined: JB now throwing WALNUT SHELLS down water well. YES. True. If we hit an unexpected porous formation AKA gravel and sand (SJ>OMG-Time!) , the wall of the borehole wants to cave in whenever the pressure against it is less than the pressure the wall holds back until you seal off the sand formation.

WALNUT SHELLS-never leave home without them. So far BP efforts to seal the well are bang on. Success (when the borehole blows out) is a Hail Mary Pass. You don't know jack until the sucker stop bleeding. Yes or no, zeros or ones. This well is going be a huge torpedo in the good ship obama. NTTIATWWT. This well has torn me in two--at the first news I knew right away that what it meant for the good ship obama. The second minute I knew what the oil would do to our coast line. The last well that blew up in Campeche Bay took a year- a year to stop bleeding at a depth of a 160 feet deep. This well is 5000 feet deep. And Rachel would not be consoled.

REMEMBER IN NOVEMBER