If only we had but 18 heros to thank. This theme of my blog is only meant to present a few of the men and women who have given their lives in our behalf in the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Truth be told, 22 men have died since the first of May in this war without end...
Marine Capt. Brian S. Letendre, 27, of Woodbridge, Va.; assigned to the Marine Forces Reserve’s Inspector and Instructor Staff, 1st Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, Plainville, Conn.; killed May 3 while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Anbar province, Iraq.
“Virginia Marine Killed In Iraq”
A U.S. Marine from northern Virginia has died in Iraq this week, the Defense Department announced Friday.
Capt. Brian S. Letendre, 27, of Woodbridge, Va., was stationed in Plainville, Conn., with the 1st Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment of the 4th Marine Division. He died Wednesday in combat operations against enemy forces in Al Anbar province, military officials said.
Letendre was killed when a a suicide vehicle exploded near him, his family said. It was his second tour of duty in Iraq.
"He wasn't ordered to go back to Iraq for another combat tour, and his unit was not going to deploy there, but he selflessly and courageously volunteered to go help train the Iraqi forces," his family said in a prepared statement.
"Brian just didn't feel right being back here in the U.S. while other Marines were serving overseas, and wanted to get back to the front lines as soon as he could," the statement read.
Letendre was born in California and raised in Woodbridge, where he graduated from Potomac High School in 1996.
He joined the Marines in 2000 after graduating from Milligan College in Tennessee. After completing training, he chose to become an infantry officer. Before serving in Iraq, Letendre was deployed in Okinawa and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
He first went to Iraq as part of the initial invasion in 2003 and earned the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with a Combat "V" for valor. Letendre returned to train Iraqi forces about three weeks ago, his family said.
His survivors include his wife, Autumn, his 3-year-old son Dillon, his parents, and two brothers.
He will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
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