Marine Lance Cpl. Joseph R. Giese

Remember Our Heroes

Marine Lance Cpl. Joseph R. Giese, 24, of Winder, Ga.

LCpl. Giese was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Jan. 7, 2011 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, while conducting combat operations.

Ryan Giese spent his childhood in Lorain, Ohio where his dad was a police officer. At age ten he moved to Georgia with his mother and sisters, after his parents split.

His family said being a marine was something Ryan had always talked about. He told his father Larry that he wanted to be a marine just like his dad was during the Vietnam War. Ryan said if he didn’t stay in the military he would become a police officer, just like his dad.

When Ryan was 17, he asked his father to sign paperwork that would let him enlist. His father said no. When Ryan turned 18, he enlisted in the Marines.

In less than 30 days, Lance Cpl. Giese was supposed to return back to his base at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. His family was making travel plans to be there to meet him.

After his long deployment, Ryan and his wife Brittany in Atlanta were happily looking forward to celebrating their first wedding anniversary next month. Instead Ryan's family flew to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to meet his returning casket.

Larry said Ryan liked to take point — or lead the troop. He wasn’t sure if Ryan was at point when he was killed. "He was looking out for other people," Larry said of his son. "He said, ‘I know what I’m doing.’

Larry Giese said the last time he spoke with his son was about three weeks ago. "It was, God, I was really looking forward to seeing him," Larry Giese said. "And that’s not going to happen anymore."

Giese joined the Marine Corps in July 2007 and was promoted to lance corporal in September 2008. He deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from September 2008 to April 2009.

In July, he deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, according to a Marine Corps spokesman.

His awards include the National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, according to the Marine Corps.

Among those Lance Cpl. Giese leaves behind are his wife Heather, his mother Constance Wascovich, his father Larry Giese, and his three sisters.

Marine Lance Cpl. Joseph R. Giese was killed in action on 1/07/11.