Marine Lance Cpl. Richard R. Penny

Remember Our Heroes

Marine Lance Cpl. Richard R. Penny, 21, of Fayetteville, Ark.

LCpl Penny was assigned to 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died May 6, 2010 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

Richard Penny's family says he's a hero who fell in the line of duty..but he's also someone who you could always count on.

Jon McCard spent most of his childhood with his kid brother tagging along. "He was always looking for adventure. He'd follow me around. We'd do everything together," McCard said.

McCard watched as Richard Penny grew up into the man who was a school football star and thrived under the stress of danger. "He was always pushing himself to the limits. He had a motorcyle, and he wrecked that. He would off road bike, and wrecked that. Had a four-wheeler and wrecked that. Anything that was dangerous and fun at the same time," he said.

It was Richard's all-American quality and the threat of danger that drove McCard's kid brother to the desert. It was a place he'd have to go solo. "He really did love his country. More than most people I think. That was a big thing to him. He wanted to serve and keep the bad out of here and keep them over there," McCard said. And when the call came to let McCard know his brother died after being hit by improvised explosive device, it was a blow to know so much had been lost. "He was my brother. He was my best friend. He was an uncle. And we'll miss him," McCard said.

But he doesn't see Richard's death as the end. "I'll see him again," he said. "He's probably up there fishing with my grandpa or something." It's just another adventure his younger brother will have to take alone, at least until McCard can catch up.

McCard says Richard's body will probably be back in Fayetteville by next week, and the family plans to have him buried among the other fallen heroes in the Fayetteville National Cemetery. He had been in Afghanistan for only 3 months.

Marine Lance Cpl. Richard R. Penny was killed in action on 5/6/10.