CANCELED Leave Proves Deadly For Dad-To-Be - He Was To Come Home For Birth

[matcom]

<snip>

Marine Lance Cpl. Aaron Boyles had hoped to be at his wife's bedside when she delivers their infant son next month.

On Wednesday, the 24-year-old Bay Area Marine phoned his wife, Prabha, with bad news. His leave had been canceled because he had to stay in Iraq to fulfill "a special mission that needed to be completed," his wife recalled him saying.

It would be the last time they spoke. Boyles died Friday in Iraq's Anbar province as a result of enemy action, military officials said.

Two other Marines died in the same incident -- Sgt. Timothy Folmar, 21, of Sonora, Texas, and Lance Cpl. Ramon Mateo, 20, of Suffolk, N.Y. Boyles and Mateo were assigned to the Headquarters and Service Company, 7th Marine Regiment based in Twentynine Palms (San Bernardino County), while Folmar was assigned to the 5th Marine Regiment based at Camp Pendleton (San Diego County).

Boyles, a graduate of Newark Memorial High School who loved football and country music, was thrilled his wife was pregnant, Prabha Boyles said. The couple had agreed to name their son Brendon, and he is due Oct. 17, she said.

"I can't believe I have to go through this without him now," she said, sobbing.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/09/27/MNGSK8VLC61.DTL

[The_Casual_Observer]

1. Militarily Insignificant

Mission Accomplished, this death is keeping us safer, otherwise we would be fighting the Iraqis right here in Smalltown USA.

[Kanary]

3. how ...... sensitive.

:eyes:

[Bluebear]

4. Jingoistic sarcasm duly noted

They hate us for our freedom, he had to stay.

[proud patriot]

2. This is close to me , It's a Bay Area Loss

I cried tears when I read this in the paper this morning.
Front Page of The Contra Costa Times.