3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance gathers to remember their fallen Marine

Photo By Cpl. Paul Torres | Marines with 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 5 file past the memorial March 1 at Korean Village, Iraq, that was erected in honor of Lance Cpl. Drew W. Weaver, a rifleman with 2nd Platoon, Company B, 3rd LAR. Weaver, who was born on July 5, 1987, was mortally wounded during Operation Desert Siege in the Al Anbar province of Iraq. (Photo/LCpl. Paul Torres)  

KOREAN VILLAGE, IRAQ

03.17.2008

Courtesy Story

I Marine Expeditionary Force

By Lance Cpl. Paul Torres
Regimental Combat Team 5

KOREAN VILLAGE, AL ANBAR PROVINCE, Iraq -- The overcast sky at Camp Korean Village, Iraq, March 1, reflected the solemn mood as Marines from 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 5 gathered to remember their fallen Marine.

Lance Cpl. Drew W. Weaver, 20, a rifleman with 2nd Platoon, Company B, 3rd LAR, was memorialized for services rendered and for having paid the ultimate sacrifice.

Upon the calling of the final role, where Weaver's name was left unanswered, he was honored by his friends and fellow Marines with the erection of a warrior's memorial. The memorial consisted of a helmet set on top of a rifle with the bayonet planted into the ground. Dog tags bearing Weaver's name hung from the pistol grip, and a pair of combat boots and a framed picture of Weaver sat at the base.

Weaver died of wounds sustained in combat actions Feb. 21.

Weaver, who was from St. Charles, Mo., and his platoon were days away from completing Operation Desert Siege, an 18-day field operation that was designed to disrupt insurgent activity in the far edges of the of the Al Anbar province.

"Weaver was known as a leader and an arbitrator of arguments among his friends in the platoon," said Capt. Mark C. Brown, commanding officer, Company C, 3rd LAR. "He was known for his enthusiasm and his ability to motivate the people around him."

The memorial was punctuated by a 21-gun salute and the playing of taps. Upon completion, every Marine present filed past the memorial. Some stopped to utter a prayer, some paused to pay their respects and some gazed upon the framed picture that stood beside the memorial

He was a friend, he was a warrior and he was a United States Marine.

• Date Taken: 03.17.2008
• Date Posted: 03.19.2008 13:15
• Story ID: 17545
• Location: KOREAN VILLAGE, IQ