Remember Our Heroes
Marine Lance Cpl. Jose S. MarinDominguez Jr., 22, of Liberal, Kansas.
Lance Cpl. MarinDominguez was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Base Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii; killed May 14 while conducting combat operations in the Anbar province, Iraq. Also killed was Lance Cpl. Hatak Yuka Keyu M. Yearby.
Associated Press
LIBERAL - A Marine killed in Iraq, the 26th Kansan to die there since the war started, was remembered for his faith and devotion to his adopted country.
"He told me that in his own way, he had a relationship with God, and God had him there for a reason," said Thomas Marin, brother of Lance Cpl. Jose Marin Jr.
Jose Marin, 22, was killed Sunday in fighting in Al Anbar Province, the Marines said. Lance Cpl. Hatak Yuka Keyu Yearby, 21, of Overbrook, Okla., was also killed.
They were assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Base Hawaii at Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.
Funeral services for Marin were set for Sunday in Liberal, where he grew up. He was born in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, and moved to Kismet after emigrating to the United States in 1991. His family later moved to Liberal and he became a U.S. citizen.
He enlisted in the Marines in 2003, shortly after graduating from Liberal High School.
"He was going to the Marines as soon as he got out of here," said Brian Fowler, an automotive mechanics instructor at the high school. "He was excited about it."
Marin's family wasn't as excited about his decision, though.
"We didn't like the idea much," said his grandmother, Gabina Marin. "Me, I insisted that he not go."
He joined up anyway and served eight months in Afghanistan before being deployed to Iraq.
"We told him that we supported him, that we loved him, that he was our hero," said his father, Jose Marin Sr.
Janet Heston, the registrar at Liberal High, recalled a visit Marin made to the school after completing boot camp and the pride he displayed in his Marine uniform.
"He was a real likable kid," she said.
Marin called his family from Iraq whenever he could. His last call was May 9.
"You just ask God to give you strength," Tomas Marin said.
Thomas Marin’s family was heading out the door Sunday for his sister's graduation when officials pulled up to say his brother had been killed in Iraq.
He was just a great guy, said brother Thomas Marin.
He was a sweet guy with a tough exterior – surprising his family when he enlisted with the Marines three years ago.
22-year-old Jose Marin was the kind of older brother Thomas Marin looked up to and admired.
“I wish everybody would have gotten to know him the way I did,” said Thomas.
Friends say when he was home; Marin was a familiar face in church.
He loved music and cars – going so far as to start a car club in Liberal.
It's the downtime Thomas says he'll miss most about his brother, “Just the times I spent with him.”
Thomas describes his brother as a hero, “I just hope the taking of his life signifies something.”
Marin was in his second tour overseas -- he had previously spent time in Afghanistan. He was killed Sunday during combat operations in Al Anbar Province, Iraq.
Marine Lance Cpl. Jose S. MarinDominguez Jr. was killed in action on 05/14/06.
2 comments:
Hi. God Bless. I am his sister. Thank you for every thing you guys have done. It is means so much to the whole family. You guys have continued to honor Jose in such a way that words will never be able to express our gratitude. Thank you and God Bless.
I ALWAYS THOUGHT OF JOSE AS ONE OF MY CLOSES FRIENDS AND SOMETHING I LEARN WAS THAT NO MATTER WHERE OR WHEN I COULD COUNT ON HIM. I CAN SAY I WAS HIS BEST FRIEND BUT I COULD SAY THAT I WAS A GOOD FRIEND OF HIS SOMETHING I LEARN FROM HIM IS THAT YOU CAN MAKE A DIFERENCE NO MATTER WHAT YOU ARE OR WHERE YOU CAN BECAME THAT ONE PERSON BUT I KNOW THAT HE BECAME A VERY GOOD INFLUENCE ON OUR HEARTS SOME ONE ONES TOLD ME THAT NO ONE CAN SERVE TWO MASTERS BECAUSE SOONER OR LATER YOU WILL END UP DISAPOINTING ONE OF THEM BUT JOSE WAS NEVER LIKE THAT HE KNEW WHAT HE WANTED AND HE LOVED WHAT HE BECAME HIS COUNTRY HIS FAMILY WAS THE BIGGEST PREORITY FOR HIM AND I AM PROUD TO SAY HE WAS MY FRIEND EVEN THOUGH WE LOST HIM HERE IN THIS EARTH I KNOW THAT OUR GOD WILL GIVE US THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE WITH HIM AGAIN-- GRACIAS JOSE POR TU AMISTAD AND TUS CONSEJOS Y TO YOUR FAMILY IF YOU EVER WOULD LIKE TO CONTACT ME SOY LUIS MARTINEZ AKA YOGI AND CAN EMAIL ME AT YOGI13BLUE@YAHOO.COM
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