Loved ones mourn their fallen Marines - Respects paid to 39 who died in Iraq war

Dennis Geurin bent and touched the dog tags that hung not from his son's neck but from an M-16 rifle plunged ceremonially into the ground.

Barely three months have passed since Lance Cpl. Cory Geurin, 18, died in Iraq when he fell off a building he was guarding.

But yesterday's 1st Marine Division memorial service for 39 fallen members was the father's first chance to talk to Marines who ate, slept and fought next to his son. He hungers for every tidbit about his Marine's final days.

"I need to touch base with Marines who knew him. I need to ask them questions. 'What did you eat? What did you talk about?' " said Geurin, who wore a T-shirt with his son's boot camp graduation photo emblazoned on the front.

The misty morning ceremony made proud tears fall again among family and friends of the 1st Division Marines who died in Iraq.

The 20,000-person division, which was the Marines' main ground force in the war, waited to hold the ceremony until all its members had returned home, officials said. The last large group came back last weekend.

Geurin, of Santee, said it was important for him to attend, but added that his wife isn't ready for ceremonies.

"Our heart's broken and we miss him very much," he said. "But I came today to pay respects not just to my son but to all the soldiers and the Marines here that gave their lives for their country."

Thirty-nine rifles were lined up across a base parade field. Thirty-nine desert-camouflaged combat helmets rested atop the weapons, and 39 pairs of dust-colored boots sat below.

The unmanned rifle is a traditional tribute at a Marine memorial service, but rarely are there so many lined up at once.

As a band played a slow, mournful hymn, a Marine official read each man's name, hometown, unit and date of death. For each, a Marine honor guardsman from his unit performed a slow, tight salute, then marched to stand sentinel behind the upended rifle.

Many eyes became wet as the hourlong ceremony went on. Three large sections of bleachers and chairs were filled by family and fellow Marines, and more stood around the sides.

Staff Sgt. Christian Morera, 30, wiped his cheeks as he walked from the field. Home since July, Morera didn't know any of the fallen Marines, but he said he felt humbled by the ceremony.

"To see their families here crying, it kind of gets to you," said Morera, of the 11th Marine Regiment. "The loss of these guys is a lot. It just made me feel proud that these (Marines) gave their lives up to protect and free a country."

Sgt. Maj. Wayne Bell said it was hard to keep his emotions in check while reading the names.

"This is probably the toughest thing I've ever had to do in my life," said Bell, a Marine for 27 years.

Division Commander Maj. Gen. James Mattis said these Marines are the real cost of freedom. In front of him, 11 platoons stood in formation, representing each regiment and specialty battalion that deployed for the war.

"It was the courage, unselfishness and skill of these young men we recognize today, to which we owe our victory," Mattis said. "And even our own lives. Any one of us might have died in their place, and certainly some of us are alive today thanks to them.

From another story, same source:

About 200 friends and family members today mourned 39 Marines and sailors who lost their lives during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The Camp Pendleton ceremony was led by the base commander, Maj. General James S. Mattis.

"We gather together to confront the real cost for our freedom," Mattis said. "These young men shouldered their weapons and moved without hesitation against the enemy."

Thirty-nine rifles – symbolizing the dead – stood in the beaten-down grass on the parade grounds, their butts topped with helmets, their pistol grips festooned with dog tags. An empty pair of boots, each the color of desert camouflage, sat by each rifle.

"It's very emotional knowing that we are not going to see him anymore," said Kathleen Ruiz, whose husband, Eduardo, served as honor guard for their friend, Cpl. Douglas Marenco, 28. He died May 18.

After the playing of "Taps," each honor guard lifted his arm slowly in salute, then walked behind the rifles and stood at ease.

Marenco's 9-year-old son, Julian, came from Chino with his mother, Alicia, and 5-year-old sister, Isabella.

The boy wore a duplicate set of dog tags on his chest.

"It makes me comfortable," the boy said. "It's OK my dad had to die."

His father, recalled Julian, told him definitely not to join the Army.

Julie Cawley Hanson came from Utah to honor her brother, Staff Sgt. James W. Cawley. The 41-year-old was the only reservist to lose his life during Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.

The woman said her brother – who could have avoided deployment because he was due for surgery – knew he wouldn't return.

"This was a young man who knew he would die," Julie Hanson said. She explained that her brother left detailed instructions about his burial and long letters for his children, Cecil, 9, and Keiko, 6.

"He took all of his civilian clothes out of his closet so that his wife wouldn't have to do it," his sister said as she wept. "He gave his clothes to charity."

The fallen military man was a detective for the Salt Lake City police SWAT unit when he was called for duty, his sister said.

His Japanese wife, Miyuki, plans to stay in Utah near her slain husband's family, the sister said.

"His wife decided she wanted to stay in a country that so honors its heroes," Julie Cawley Hanson said.

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