The Department of Defense recently announced the death of two Marines who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Tonight we remember the life and honor the service of
Cpl. Jeffrey R. Standfest, 23, of St. Clair, Michigan, and
Lance Cpl. Michael C. Bailey, 29, of Park Hills, Missouri
Please take a few minutes to join us in remembering the life and honoring the service of these fine young Marines who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.
Their mission is ended and they have earned their rest.
sources: TimesHerald.com, The Oakland Press, Oakland University Athletics, Click On Detroit, Unknown Soldiers Blog, Detroit Free Press, The Voice
Jeff Standfest was an outstanding student-athlete and outdoorsman. He was a cross-country runner, a track and field competitor, and a baseball player. He also loved to hunt rabbits, and go fishing. As a senior at St. Clair High, Standfest was one of the Blue Water Area's most dominant cross-country runners. He won 12 of his 14 races and was named the Times Herald Runner of the Year. After graduating from St. Clair High in 2005 with a 4.0 GPA, Jeff enrolled at and ran for Oakland University. He competed on the cross country team and was a big part of helping the Golden Grizzlies win their second Mid-Con Championship. He was also a part of the inaugural track and field team at Oakland University in 2006 and finished eighth in the 1,500-meter run at the Mid-Con Championships. Paul Rice, Oakland University's cross country coach, said Standfest stood out as a leader even as a freshman. Rice described Standfest as a "dedicated, hard-working" athlete. "He showed up every day and wanted to keep the guys inspired," Rice said. "(He was) a really good leader."
Standfest joined the Marines in 2008. Doug Mills, a family friend, described Jeff as an "all American kid" who joined the military because his grandfather served in the Marines in World War II. Standfest was deployed to Afghanistan last April for his first tour of duty. He was assigned to 3rd Combat Engineer Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, IIIMarine Expeditionary Force, based at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif.
In his job as a combat engineer and canine handler, Standfest was frequently exposed to very dangerous situations while searching for roadside bombs with specially trained dogs. In early June, Jeff suffered a concussion during an explosion that killed the canine companion that had most often assisted him in his work. After recovering from the concussion, Standfest bravely returned to the same work, and had only recently resumed his duties with a new dog before the incident that took his life.
Corporal Jeffrey R. Standfest died on June 16 after stepping on an improvised explosive device while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He is the son of Timothy Standfest, a 25-year detective with the police department in Macomb County's Clinton Township, and Karen Standfest, vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer at Henry Ford Macomb Hospital. The Defense Department listed Standfest as being from St. Clair, however, his parents live in China Township, about 45 miles northeast of Detroit. . The family formerly lived in Sterling Heights. Gov. Jennifer Granholm was to issue an executive order to fly flags at half-staff, said Debbie Whipple, an executive assistant in the governor's communications office.
Family members are declining interviews at this time, but several friends and colleagues of Jeff's father offered their remembrances and condolences.
"He was an outstanding high school athlete and a respectful person who loved his family and loved being in the Marine Corps," said police spokesman Detective Capt. Richard Maierle. "He was just an overall great kid. I can’t say enough about him."
"He was very family oriented. He loved his family, his parents and his grandfather," said Clinton Township Police Detective Lt. Marc Rybinski, who joined the police department at about the same time as Timothy Standfest, Jeff's father. "He was the proudest Marine I’ve ever seen, coming to the police station in his dress uniform. You couldn’t ask for a better soldier, a better son, a better friend."
In an e-mail, Rybinski said the police department extends its sympathy to Standfest’s family: "Men like Corporal Standfest, who devote their lives so that we may remain secure and safe in our homes, will always hold a place in our hearts and minds," it read. "Let us honor Corporal Standfest’s life in the service to his family, friends, and the people of the United States and never forget what he did for all of us."
"I watched Jeff grow up into a man and into a Marine hero," said Doug Mills, a retired Clinton Township detective and friend of the Standfest family. "This sounds corny, but I thank God there are people like him in the Marines and Army. What would we in this country do without people like him?"
Mills also said while he grieves for the loss of Jeff Standfest, he also is tremendously proud of how the young man lived his life and served his country. "I hope the American public doesn’t give up on our troops," Mills said. "What Jeff Standfest did for us is what America is all about."
"The entire police department is saddened by this," Maierle said. "We will do whatever we can to support the family. I’m sure our honor guard will be part of the funeral services."
"I've known him since he was a little kid," Maierle added. "Great kid. Proud as hell to be in the Marine Corps."
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sources: KPSP Channel 2, stltoday.com, DailyJournalOnline
Michael Bailey's stepfather, Thomas Rodgers of Frankclay, Missouri, said he helped rear Bailey since he was in elementary school and called him his son. "He had a really good heart," Rodgers said, and that sentiment was echoed by many others who knew him.
Bailey, who grew up near Frankclay, had many friends, including Denny Bouse. Bouse said his childhood friend was always a positive person, even though he had a lot of sadness in his life. Bailey was a volunteer in the Leadwood Fire Protection District while in high school, and was active in school activities. Bailey loved music, and he and Bouse joined band together. Bailey played trumpet. "On the trips we would take, he was the kind of guy who could break the ice," Bouse explained. "Everyone was nervous about performing and meeting new people — new girls — and he had a way of making the people around him comfortable." Bouse also remembers Bailey as a handsome guy in school: "A lot of girls liked him, but I don’t think he was ready to settle down yet," Bouse said.
Kim Womble, whose daughter was friends with Bailey, said Bailey was an example of "it takes a village to raise a child." When family issues cropped up in Bailey’s youth, the people of Leadwood stepped in to lend a hand. "He knew our home was his home," said Womble, who always made sure to make him lasagna, one of his favorite meals, whenever he came to visit.
In 1999, Michael Bailey graduated from West County High School in Leadwood. After high school, Bailey enlisted in the Navy, was offered a bonus on the spot to sign again for another three years--and did.
Family members and friends said he enjoyed his military service, especially his years in the Navy. Rodgers said. "Mike was funny about stuff like that. When he was in the Navy, he was in a nuclear sub. He liked that, top secret."
Bailey's family has been hit hard by tragedy. His mother, Dorothy Turner, died unexpectedly in 2003. His sister, Gina Ketcherside, was killed in a car crash when she was 25. A year before his sister's death, her baby, Eva Jo Linn Ketcherside, died of sudden infant death syndrome. Denny Bouse recalled how Bailey reacted these back to back tragedies: "I remember at Gina’s funeral he said ‘Every time I come back, it seems like I’m burying somebody.’" As a result of the hardships Bailey had endured, Bouse had a great deal of respect for Bailey and his attitude toward life: "Growing up with him and seeing how he dealt with situations in his life put me in awe and showed me his character," Bouse said. "I could never have handled those (problems)."
Bailey switched branches and enlisted as a Marine in September 2008. The Rev. Jesse Barton, spokesman for the family, said Bailey joined the Marines because he wanted to serve in the same division as his father.
In spite of having so few family members in the area, whenever Bailey came home on leave he always had lots of places to stay.
Bouse spent a day with Bailey during his recent leave. The two old friends sat around and talked a lot, but the war was off-limits in their conversation. "He made it a point not to talk about the war so nobody would worry about him," Bouse said.
Every time Bailey would come home on leave, he would stop by the school and talk and reminisce with teachers and the principal. "Mike was a very special kid, he was highly thought of by people who knew him," said Eric Moyers, principal of West County High. "He never failed, after he made the rounds with friends and family, he'd always come back to the school and visit with myself and teachers he had at the school."
On his last visit to the school, Moyers recalled that Bailey said he was preparing to be sent to Afghanistan.
Mike Bailey also told both Denny Bouse and Kim Womble that he hoped to be out of Afghanistan in August. He asked them to help him find a job when he moved back to Leadwood.
Although Womble had concerns about Bailey’s being in the war, she always thought he would return safely. "He’d been in Iraq for two or three tours in the Navy, and he always came back," she said. " I just can’t believe that our last visit was our last."
Marine Lance Cpl. Bailey was killed by small arms fire in an ambush while on a security patrol conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Bailey's stepfather was told Bailey had been seated in the fourth vehicle of a convoy when he was shot in the neck.
Bailey was a rifleman who was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California. This was Bailey's second combat deployment.
His personal service awards include the Purple Heart, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Navy Presidential Unit Citation, Navy Unit Commendation, Navy "E" Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Navy Expeditionary Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.
Messages to his family flowed onto his Facebook page after the news was released on Thursday. Friends of Michael Bailey remembered him as a warm, caring man who made everyone around him feel comfortable, even in stressful circumstances.
"Thank you for you everything you taught us all in your short time with us. You always had a way to make people smile, even if you felt you were a man of few words."
"Thank you for fighting for our freedom and being one of the most selfless people I have met! You are loved by many and will be missed greatly!!"
"Heaven gained an AWESOME angel this year! Thank you Michael for the sacrifice that you have given so that we may live free!"
"Mike, you have always inspired me to be a better person. Thank you for all that you have contributed to our lives and in your service for our country."
"You were a wonderful person to know and will continue to be in my heart. You are a very brave man who has touched more people’s lives than you were aware."
"Thank you for your service to our country and your continued bravery. Most of all Thank You for being a part of my/our lives. You will be dearly missed."
Eric Moyers, Bailey’s former principal, spoke for many in the community. "It’s a tragedy." Moyers said. Bailey was "an honorable young man, a very special young man" who was caring and thoughtful. "He would do anything for anybody," Moyers said. "He cared deeply for his family, friends and community. I thought the world of him. Our community is hurting right now."
Tentative plans have been made for a funeral procession from the high school, through downtown Leadwood, into Davis Crossing and to Adams Cemetery for burial, said Leadwood City Clerk Dottie Banks.
Michael Bailey's stepfather, Thomas Rodgers, was especially devastated by the loss. "My whole family is gone," Rodgers said. "Michael is the last of them."
"He always did the right thing, he never ran with the wrong crowd, he was just a good kid," Rodgers said. "I figured he'd be the one to outlive us all."
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