Marine Gunnery Sgt. Floyd E. C. Holley

Remember Our Heroes

Marine Gunnery Sgt. Floyd E. C. Holley, 36, of Casselberry, Fla.

GSgt. Holley was assigned to 7th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died Aug. 29, 2010 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

A specialist in roadside explosives, Holley grew up in Casselberry and was planning to come home to the U.S. from Afghanistan for the birth of his first child — a daughter — in November.

On Sunday, however, Holley was killed during his third tour of duty in the Middle East, the Department of Defense announced this evening. Holley, 36, died in Helmand province when he was hit by a blast from an improvised explosive device, the military said.

Holley was a linebacker for the Lyman High School football team in the early 1990s and also wrestled, said his childhood friend Shawn Whitaker.

He was popular with the ladies, but he flipped when he met Chrissy Sheridan, his wife-to-be, in Hawaii, said Whitaker, 37, of Casselberry. The couple married last year. She already had a son, Andrew, and a daughter, Alyssa, and is expecting Holley's first child in November. "He was beyond being excited about being a father," Whitaker said. "He was all about family and love."

Perhaps because he was raised mostly by a single mother, Holley longed for family connections. He was the man of the house, looking out for his older sister and younger brother, his friend said. His mother died a few years ago.

Holley attended Central Methodist College in Missouri for a short time before joining the military. He was an explosives ordnance disposal technician and enlisted in the Marine Corps in February 1997. He had previously served in Iraq in 2008 and 2003. In his spare time, he loved the beach, surfing and sports.

His personal service awards include the Purple Heart, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, and the NATO medal.

Marine Gunnery Sgt. Floyd E. C. Holley was killed in action on 8/29/10.