Tuesday, June 28, 2005

Army Sgt. 1st Class Marcus V. Muralles

Remember Our Heroes

Army Sgt. 1st Class Marcus V. Muralles, 33, of Shelbyville, Indiana.

Sgt Muralles died while conducting combat operations when the MH-47 helicopter that he was aboard crashed in the vicinity of Asadabad, Afghanistan in Kumar Province. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), Hunter Army Air Field, Georgia.

Sgt Marcus V. Muralles was supposed to be on his way back to the United States to celebrate his daughter's 10th birthday on July 4. But the former Shelbyville resident's plans changed at the last minute, family members said.

Muralles, 33, was among the 16 U.S. troops killed May 26, 05, when their helicopter was shot down during a rescue mission in eastern Afghanistan.

The Army medic got the assignment, which involved the search for a missing elite military team, after another medic suffered a leg injury.

Muralles joined the Army in August 1994 and served in the special operations forces. An aerial flight medic, he served with the 3rd Battalion, 160th Airborne based at Fort Benning, Georgia.

Muralles, who was born in New Orleans and raised in Shelbyville, has a wife, Diana, and two children, Anna Elise, 9, and Marcus, 4. The family lives near an Army base in Savannah, Georgia.

"They were his pride," said Muralles' mother, Rosemarie Dill, Shelbyville. "He told his wife how he wanted to buy a five-bedroom house and give his son his own room and computer because he was so smart beyond his years."

Muralles loved medicine and planned to obtain medical training in the Army.

Bob Dill said he tried to persuade Muralles to enter medical school as a civilian, but Muralles was too attached to the Army.

"We said it's real dangerous in the Army and that he could do as much good in civilian life as he could there," Dill said. "But he wouldn't hear of it. He wanted to be an Army physician."

The same argument failed after Muralles underwent six months of training with paramedics in San Antonio, Texas. "I said, 'Why don't you do that?' But he wouldn't buy it then, either," Dill said. "He was just real proud of where he was, and he loved fighting for his country."

Muralles served two stints in Iraq and three in Afghanistan and had received several military honors.

He was posthumously awarded medals, including the Bronze Star.

Army Sgt 1st Class Marcus V. Muralles was killed in action on 06/28/05.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Please remember my brother's name. Remember every fallen soldier's name, for they are a special few who unselfishly did their jobs knowing the risks that could ultimately take their lives. My brother was a medic, studying to become a physician's assistant (he was accepted 4 months after his death into the program). His work and studies were to save people which he did. There are so many good stories to tell about my brother, stories many people will never know. I am amazed at how many people's lives he's touched. I am so proud of him and always will be. I wish the world knew him like we did. Mark,we all miss you so much. Your abscence will be felt until our last breath but our love will remain forever. God keep you little brother. We wait to see you in heaven in God's presence. Please pray for our soldiers who have fallen and their families, and our soldiers that are still here doing work only special souls volunteer to do. God bless you all. -Sister, Cindy