Marine Cpl. Christopher L. Poole Jr.

Remember Our Heroes

Marine Cpl. Christopher L. Poole Jr., 22, of Mount Dora, Fla.

Cpl. Poole was assigned to 3rd Assault amphibian Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died Sept. 6, 2007 while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq. Also killed were Cpl. Bryan J. Scripsick, Staff Sgt. John C. Stock and Sgt. Michael J. Yarbrough.

Orlando Sentinel -- Cpl. Christopher L. Poole was born on the Fourth of July and talked about joining the military since he was 10 years old.

He was proud to join the service after graduating from Mount Dora High School and specialized in communications as a Marine.

The 22-year-old from Mount Dora died Sept. 6 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, the Department of Defense said today.

"He was so proud of the Marines, the way they worked and the way they acted," his mother, Donna Hunsicker said. "One of his best friends' fathers was a Marine. He decided that was what he was going to do."

His family was looking forward to seeing him at a scheduled visit in November. In phone calls home, he joked about how boring Iraq was and how he couldn't wait to do something other than fixing radios, his mother said.

Family and friends will remember Poole for his quick wit and teasing personality.

In one of the last photos taken of the young man, he was on a boat wearing beach shorts and a cowboy hat.

"That was him," Hunsicker said. "Just a free-spirited, happy-go-lucky guy."

Poole was among four Marines killed while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. They were all assigned to 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif. The others who died were: Cpl. Bryan J. Scripsick, 22, of Wayne, Okla.; Staff Sgt. John C. Stock, 26, of Longview, Texas; and Sgt. Michael J. Yarbrough, 24, of Malvern, Ark.

Before Poole's death, the most recent Central Floridian killed in Iraq was Army Staff Sgt. Sandy Britt, who died on Aug. 21. Britt, 30, was a Lake Mary High graduate.

A funeral for Poole is tentatively set for Friday in Bushnell, his mother said. He will be buried at the Florida National Cemetery.

Marine Cpl. Christopher L. Poole Jr. was killed in action on 9/6/07.