Story and photos by Cpl. Heidi Loredo

MARINE CORPS AIR GROUND COMBAT CENTER TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. (April 28, 2006) -- Before leaving home for his second tour to Iraq, Staff Sgt. Daniel Clay left a letter with his family and an instruction to open it only in the event of his death. Clay was killed in action in Iraq on Dec. 1, 2005.

“But here is something tangible,” wrote Clay. “What we have done in Iraq is worth any sacrifice. Why? Because it was our duty…Without duty, life is worthless.”

Clay and 12 other Marines from 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, who perished during their deployment to Iraq while performing their duties as Marines, were honored at a memorial service April 21 in the presence of their families and brothers-in-arms. The War Dogs deployed to Iraq for the second time in July and returned to Twentynine Palms late January.

“Every Marine we honor here this morning was a great and selfless man drawn to the Corps by a sense of duty,” said Lt. Col. Joseph a. L’Etoile, commanding officer, 2/7. “A duty they were faithfully and bravely performing when they were taken by the enemy, an enemy that attacks hope and the human spirit.”

The first casualty the battalion suffered was Pfc. Ramon Romero, 19, of Huntington Park, Calif., Aug. 22, 2005, when the vehicle he was in was struck by an improvised explosive device near Fallujah. Romero’s mother said her son aspired to study criminology after his enlistment and wanted to become a police officer.

The lives of two other Marines were taken by the enemy Nov. 12 from an IED when they engaged enemy forces in Al Amiriyah. Lance Cpl. David A. Mendez Ruiz, 20, of Cleveland, Ohio, was on his second tour to Iraq. The youngest of eight children was born in Guatemala City, Guatemala, and moved to the United States when he was 6 years old.

Lance Cpl. Scott A. Zubowski, 20, of Manchester, Ind., was on his second tour to Iraq. Prior to his departure, Zubowski married his high school sweetheart, Klancey Eberly.

Disaster struck the battalion on Dec. 1, in one of the worst tragedies to occur to a Combat Center unit. Ten Marines died while on patrol from an IED fashioned from several large artillery shells.

Gone but not forgotten are:
• Lance Cpl. Adam W. Kaiser, 19, of Naperville, Ill.
• Lance Cpl. Andrew G. Patten, 19, of Byron, Ill.
• Lance Cpl. Holmason, 20, of Surprise, Ariz.
• Lance Cpl. Robert A. Martinez, 20, of Splendora, Texas
• Lance Cpl. Craig N. Watson, 21, of Union City, Mich.
• Lance Cpl. David A. Huhn, 24, of Portland, Mich.
• Lance Cpl. Scott T. Modeen, 24, of Hennepin, Minn.
• Cpl. Anthony T. McElveen, 20, of Little Falls, Minn.
• Sgt. Andy A. Stevens, 29, of Tomah, Wis.
• Staff Sgt. Daniel J. Clay, 27, of Pensacola, Fla.

“When these Marines enlisted or reenlisted America was already at war,” said Letoile. “The terrible nature of the war on terrorism was well known, and the list of fallen Americans was already long. They volunteered to place themselves between the murderous and the innocent. They accepted the bombs, mortars the snipers and the cost of protecting a vulnerable people.”

The battalion believes their sacrifices were not without gain. They entered an area of operations of 50 square kilometers in Fallujah during its reconstruction phase and made it tougher for terrorists to operate. Additionally, their partners in the Iraqi Army and Iraqi Security Forces continued to make great strides toward a new democracy with their help. At the end of their deployment, the battalion’s area of operations had grown to 750 square kilometers. The 13 Marines sacrificed to give the Iraqi people a liberty they could never have gained without their help, and a chance to live in fearless freedom.

“These young men, these Marines, intuitively understood that free nations stand on the foundation of sacrifice,” said Letoile. “Our future as a free and prosperous people depends on strong men and women who understand duty, who understand honor and are willing to risk all.”

Feelings of profound debt were displayed from the Marines to the families of the fallen as they gathered together after the ceremony to offer their sorrow and stories of time spent with their sons, brothers and husbands. Letoile encouraged his Marines and Sailors to honor those memories by being faithful to the ideals they died for and to be honorable men.

“As a Marine, this is not the last chapter,” wrote Clay in his final letter. “I have the privilege of being one who has finished the race. I have been in the company of heroes. I now am counted among them. Never falter! Don’t hesitate to honor and support those of us who have the honor of protecting that which is worth protecting.”

The solemn occasion was all the more haunting as the wind caused dog tags to jingle against inverted rifles staked between a set of boots and photograph of the life it represented. A stirring rendition of “Taps” and the ceremonial detail’s rifle shots ringing out through the morning sunshine left people in no doubt of the huge emotion surrounding the occasion.

“I’m standing in front of 13 memorials which represent 13 of the greatest men I have ever known,” said Letoile. “They were proud of our nation, they were proud to be Marines, and they were proud to serve in Iraq. God bless the families, God bless America and God bless the United States Marine Corps.”