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Story by Cpl. Monty Burton
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – Marines of 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion remembered three of their own killed during combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan during a memorial service at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., Dec. 16.
The unit returned home Dec. 1, after a seven-month deployment to Afghanistan where they conducted counterinsurgency operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. They returned without Cpl. Jacob C. Leicht and Lance Cpls. Shane R. Martin and Kevin E. Oratowski, who lost their lives during the battalion’s tour. The families of the fallen were present and laid flowers on the individual memorials during the tear-filled ceremony.
The battalion’s commander, Lt. Col. Scott D. Leonard expressed his gratitude to the three Marines.
“Today we are celebrating the lives of three American patriots,” he said. “We gather today to pay tribute to their patriotism, service and their loyalty to us as Marines.”
Cpl. Jacob C. Leicht, July 4, 1985 – May 27, 2010.
Born in Lemoore, Calif., Leight reported to Marine Corps Recruit Depot, March 13, 2006. Later that year he reported to 1st Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, and deployed to the Al Anbar Province of Iraq with the unit in spring 2007. While in Iraq, he was wounded in action by an improvised explosive device and awarded the Purple Heart during his tour. After a two-year battle with his injuries and a successful rehabilitation, Leicht reported to 1st LAR on Sept. 25, 2009. Leicht deployed to Afghanistan with the unit, May 1. He was killed in action while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan, May 27, 2010.
Lance Cpl. Shane Martin, Sept. 9, 1986 – July 29, 2010.
Born in Durban, South Africa, Martin moved to Houston when he was 12 years old. He enlisted in the Marine Corps on Sept. 11, 2007 and reported to recruit training Dec. 3 of the same year. He deployed to Iraq in September 2008, and became a naturalized American citizen during a ceremony held in a former palace of Saddam Hussein. He deployed to Afghanistan in May of 2010 where he was killed while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan, July 29.
Lance Cpl. Kevin E. Oratowski, Feb. 19, 1987- Aug. 18, 2010.
Born in San Diego, Oratowski grew up in Wheaton, Ill. He enlisted in the Marine Corps March 2008, and reported to recruit training in June of that year. After reporting to 1st LAR on Feb. 25, 2009, he deployed to Afghanistan in May 2010. He was killed while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan, Aug. 18.
| Date Taken: | 12.16.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 12.21.2010 12:19 |
| Story ID: | 62406 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 1,686 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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