Marine Lance Cpl. Robert A. Lynch

Remember Our Heroes

Marine Lance Cpl. Robert A. Lynch, 20, of Louisville, Ky.

Cpl. Lynch was assigned to 1st Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan; died July 24, 2007 while conducting combat operations in Diyala province, Iraq.

Kentucky Marine among 3 killed in Iraq
The Associated Press

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A Marine from Kentucky was among three killed this week during combat operations in Iraq, the military said July 26.

Lance Cpl. Robert A. Lynch, 20, of Louisville, died July 24 in Diyala province — the site of a major military operation against a Sunni insurgent stronghold, the Defense Department said in a statement.

Lynch was assigned to 1st Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan.

He graduated from Seneca High School in 2005 and school officials spoke highly of him.

“He was a hero for us,” Michael McWilliams, a counselor at Seneca, told The (Louisville) Courier-Journal. “He did a lot of things for us and a lot for our ROTC program.”

Also killed were Cpl. James H. McRae, 22, of Springtown, Texas and Cpl. Matthew R. Zindars, 21, of Watertown, Wis., the statement said.

McRae was assigned to 3rd Maintenance Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 35, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan.

Zandars was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Marine killed in combat was eager to fight in Iraq, family says
The Associated Press

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A Louisville Marine killed in Iraq this week was intent on fighting in the war and headed straight to boot camp after graduation, his family said.

Lance Cpl. Robert A. Lynch, 20, of Louisville, died July 24 in Diyala province. Two other Marines were killed in the military operation against a Sunni insurgent stronghold, the military said in a statement.

“He’d tell me all the time, ‘Mom, I’m going over there to fight for you,’ ” his mother, Angela Robinson, told WLKY-TV.

Lynch was assigned to 1st Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, in Okinawa, Japan.

Lynch’s brother, Michael, also fought in Iraq.

“I would be honored to go the same way my brother went,” Michael Lynch said. “It would be an honor. I’m so proud of him.”

Lynch graduated from Seneca High School in Louisville in 2005, where he was a well-liked member of the ROTC.

“Robbie was a little bit of a jokester. He put a smile on your face, but when it came time to get something done, he was the first to jump in and stand shoulder to shoulder with you,” said retired Marine Col. Richard Maloney, who taught Lynch in ROTC courses at the school.

“He had so many friends here, the word went around like wild fire,” Maloney told The (Louisville) Courier-Journal. “This is a big loss for us.”

Mike Smith, pastor at Eastside Praise Ministry Center, said he baptized Lynch about a year and a half ago.

“He was so charming and kind,” Smith said. “There was a side of him that truly believed in what he was doing. He was convinced his life in this capacity was really going to make a difference.”

Killed alongside Lynch were Cpl. James H. McRae, 22, of Springtown, Texas and Cpl. Matthew R. Zindars, 21, of Watertown, Wis.

Gov. Ernie Fletcher has ordered that flags at all state office buildings be lowered to half-staff until sunset on the day of Lynch’s funeral. Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson issued a similar order through July 30. Funeral arrangements were pending.

Marine Lance Cpl. Robert A. Lynch was killed in action on 7/24/07.