Two US Marine Corps Lance Corporals were killed recently. Both were based at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.
- Lance Corporal Randy M. Heck from Ohio died March 28th
- Lance Corporal Jacob A. Ross from Wyoming died March 24th
[The tribute for Lance Corporal Ross was written by Sandy on Signal]
Lance Corporal Randy M. Heck
Randy Heck grew up in the Ohio River valley and was on a track team. While he was still in high school, he enlisted in the US Marine Corps. He attended a small-town school, called Harrison Central High School, in the village of Cadiz, Ohio.
After graduation, he was assigned to 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, which is based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Recently, he was sent with his unit to Africa, near the Red Sea, for a desert survival training exercise.
Eugene Heck was quoted by WTOV news:
His father told NEWS9 reporter Ali Myers that his son always wanted to be a Marine and that he comes from a family of people who also served their country.
Heck leaves behind his mother, Teresa Black, who lives in Amsterdam, his father and a daughter, who was just a few weeks old, and he never met.
Lance Corporal Randy M. Heck died March 28, from a non-hostile incident in Djibouti, Africa. Djibouti is a strategically-located base for western navies, the French Foreign Legion, and the US Marines. The military has not revealed how he died because the incident is still under investigation. He was 20 years old.
Lance Corporal Heck earned a National Defense Service Medal, an Iraq Campaign Medal, a Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.
The Lance Corporal is the son of Everett and Theresa Black of Amsterdam, Ohio, and Eugene Heck of Steubenville, Ohio. He also leaves behind a wife and a baby daughter.
Funeral arrangements are yet to be announced.
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DoD Identifies Marine Casualty
Lance Cpl. Jacob A. Ross, 19, of Gillette, Wyo., died March 24, while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Despite the cold weather, thousands of people lined up to pay their respects for Lance Cpl. Jacob Ross. Businesses closed so employees could stand and wave flags in honor of their fallen son. Frank Mahoney, 78, a Veteran from the Korean War, showed up to pay his respects to his Marine Brother. He told the Gillette News Record:
Mahoney left his job at Home Depot to come to the honor procession "as a Marine brother." He served in the Marine Corps for eight years, some of which was during the Korean War, but he never deployed.
"Nineteen years old is kind of young," he said of Ross.
The Firefighters and Policemen showed up in dress uniform. From the locals to the oil field workers to Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY) all showed up to greet the flag draped coffin as it made its way back home. The outpouring of sympathy and compassion is a testament to the character of this small town of around 20,000.
Lance Corporal Jacob Ross is remembered for being a polite, hardworking, intelligent young man. Ross was eager and proud to be in the Marines. He swam and played soccer to keep himself fit during high school in order to join the Marines. His father was a Marine and Jacob was determined to carry on the family tradition. From the Gillette News Record:
"From what I knew of Jake, he always wanted to go into the military," said Mike Miller, who coached Ross in both swimming and soccer at Campbell County High School. "That was pretty much his intention."
Miles Fortner, Ross's best friend, spoke last week to Ross via the computer. Fortner told the newspaper:
"He said he was having a great time over there, doing what he wanted to do and wouldn’t take it back for nothing," Fortner said.
Ross was due home in May when his deployment was finished. He was eager to get home and see his new bride, family and friends. Fortner's mother described him to the Gillette News - Record:
On Friday night, Fortner’s mother, Sue, sat at her computer and went through a batch of old pictures of Ross and her son when they were in high school. She began to cry as she scrolled through the photos.
"You just couldn’t ask for a better kid. He was as genuine as they come," she said.
Semper Fi, Lance Corporal Jacob Ross.
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Helping our troops:
If you wish to assist our military and their families, consider Operation Helmet, or Fisher House. Sponsoring a deployed service member at TroopCarePackage.com can provide letters or care packages that make a real difference in a military person's life. To assist the animal companions of our deployed military, information is available here. Also, you could visit:
When our veterans come back home, they need jobs. Look at the programs of Hire Heroes USA and Welcome Back Veterans to see if you can help out. The new KINship Project has also been of help to our veterans and other Kossacks In Need.
About the IGTNT series:
"I Got the News Today" is a diary series intended to honor, respect, and remind us of the sacrifice of our US troops. Click here to see the series, which was begun by i dunno, and which is maintained by Sandy on Signal, monkeybiz, noweasels, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, twilight falling, joyful, roses, SisTwo, SpamNunn, a girl in MI, JeNoCo, Mediaprof, TrueBlueMajority, JanosNation, Proud Mom and Grandma, Ministry of Truth, and CalNM. These diaries are heartbreaking to write, but are an important service to those who have died, and show our community’s respect for them.
Fallen service members whose names have been released by the US Department of Defense will usually be diaried two days after the official announcement on the DoD website. This allows the IGTNT team to cover each person more fully, but still in a timely manner
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Please bear in mind that these diaries are read by friends and family of the service members mentioned here. May all of our remembrances be full of compassion rather than politics.