Slain solider spoke of his death

south bend tribune ^ | 12 6 04 | YONIKA WILLIS

[freepatriot32]

Slain soldier spoke of his death

He was filled with foreboding on recent visit home, family says.

By YONIKA WILLIS
Tribune Staff Writer

Joyce Adcock, of rural Goshen, reflects Monday on the life of her son, Staff Sgt. Marvin Lee Trost III, who was killed in Iraq early Sunday morning when an individual explosive device struck his vehicle.

Tribune photo/JIM RIDER

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Trost

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Staff Sgt. Marvin Lee Trost III, seen here with his wife and children in a photo provided by his family, was killed in Iraq Sunday when an individual explosive device struck his vehicle. His wife, Sherry, sons Levin, 3; and Gabriel, 3 months today; and daughter Aubrey, 6, got to see him over Thanksgiving when he was home on leave from Iraq.

Tribune photo/Jim Rider

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See related story:
Violent clashes occurring as Iraqi elections draw near.

Staff Sgt. Marvin Lee Trost III made local headlines when he entered the world 28 years ago.

"I was in labor for only 22 minutes and didn't even have time to make it to the hospital," said Joyce Adcock, Trost's mom. Her son was born at home.

And with the same acknowledgment with which he entered the world, Trost again made headlines when he died over the weekend, she said.

Trost, originally of Elkhart County, was on his third deployment to Iraq when he died in an attack after his vehicle was struck by an individual explosive device early Sunday morning.

"They said it was immediate," said Trost's father, Marvin Lee Trost Jr. "It was so quick he didn't feel a thing."

The 3rd Infantry Division staff sergeant based out of Fort Benning, Ga., had returned home on leave from Iraq two weeks before, but the somber mood of the visit let family members know that this trip was different.

"He would bring this chaotic whirlwind with him whenever he visited," Adcock said. "Any other trip he'd want to party, but this time around, it was different. He was melancholy like he knew he wasn't coming back and he wanted me to understand that. ... I'm going to miss that chaotic whirlwind."

As Adcock and her son walked down the driveway of her rural Goshen home at the end of his visit, he pulled his mom aside to tell her about a bounty out on him equivalent to $1,000 in U.S. currency.

"He tried to explain to me why and that he was doing what he wanted to do," she said.

After she told her son that she loved him and hoped to see him again, he began crying.

"I knew he knew it was time," she said. "He told me that if he didn't come back, there would be three officers to come and tell me, and they came Sunday morning."

Trost's premonition became even more evident when he left his .50-caliber rifle and his Dodge Avenger, two items that were very important to him, at his mom's house before leaving.

He even told family members that if he didn't make it, he wanted to have bagpipes and a 21-gun salute at his funeral and be buried in the country.

Trost also notified his father in Arlington, Texas, of his inkling while he was home.

"We talked quite a few times while he was home, sometimes for hours," his father said. "He told me about the bounty they had out on him. He said, 'You know, Dad, I'm really scared,' and I told him 'don't be' and that he would return home. It tears me up to feel that I lied to him."

Marvin Lee Trost Jr., a former soldier, said his son was his pride and joy and a born leader, which is evident by the Bronze Star and Purple Heart he was awarded during his military career.

"He said he always knew when he grew up that he wanted to be a soldier," said Trost's grandmother, Virginia Trost. "For Halloween, he always wanted to be G.I. Joe."

Trost, the oldest of three brothers and a half-sister, graduated in 1994 from Concord High School, where he was a part of the wrestling team and an Eagle Scout.

After enlisting in the Army at age 17 immediately after his high school graduation, Trost married Sherry, a fellow Concord High School graduate, three years later and began his family.

Although a prankster at times, Trost took his military career seriously, which led him to be promoted to staff sergeant, a title most soldiers don't attain until later in their military careers.

Trost was in charge of eight men. "He was a real leader to his men," Marvin Lee Trost Jr. said.

Trost, a father of three, had planned on staying in the military for 20 years.

"I'm proud of the man he became," Adcock said. "It made it all the more special that the man he became was family-oriented." Trost's final visit home came just in time for an early Thanksgiving, which the family celebrated on Nov. 15.

Virginia Trost said the family prayed with Trost while he was home.

[wideawake]

Very weird, this concern by him about the bounty - the scum are offering rewards for killing any of our troops, what made him think that he was specifically targeted? Is there more to the story?

Prayers for him and the ones he leaves behind.

[A.A. Cunningham]

individual explosive device

IED - Improvised Explosive Device

[Blowtorch]

I was thinking the same thing. He obviously felt like he was specifically targeted, so there must be more to this. God bless his family and fellow comrades.

[TheDon]

Seeing the picture of his children is a reminder of the heartbreaking sacrifices being made by men such as Marvin, and their families. We are blessed to have such men in our midst. RIP Marvin

[StarCMC]

ping

[Old Sarge]

Odd, that he had this "premonition". A bounty? I wonder what his MOS was? And on his 3rd tour...

There's a back story to this, we're not hearing.

I honor this brother troop, this brother Eagle Scout, and this fallen soldier. And yet, I wonder...

[BushisTheMan]

Prayers to his family.

[sam_paine]

Obviously one of his MOS's was Pissing Off the enemy enough to earn a personal bounty. Good for him. God bless him and his fam.

[ArmyTeach]

IED. Struck me, too. I became very aware of them when my daughter was in Iraq. Funny about the bounty...hmm

Peace, comfort and blessings to his family. My heart is with them, my prayers are continuous.

[geopyg]

"Funny about the bounty...hmm"

The article said he left his .50 caliper rifle with his mom. Perhaps he was a sniper and had a personal variation of a sniper rifle for practice? I hear that the terrorists have a bounty on snipers. (Then it would be more of a "general bounty" on a sniper, rather than one for him specifically.)

But - perhaps his squad was extra-lethal and it was a personal bounty on him for his good work.

Prayers for his wife and young kids. God bless all of our troops still in harm's way.

[DeepInEnemyTerritory]

"Insurgents were said to have placed a bounty for the killing of any Marine sniper. A Web site, linked to the insurgents, attempts to provide information on snipers and their family members."

http://globalspecops.com/sniper.html

The terrorists do appear to have a general bounty for all snipers.
Prayers for his family.