Marine Lance Cpl. Travis M. Nelson

Remember Our Heroes

Marine Lance Cpl. Travis M. Nelson, 19, of Pace, Fla.

LCpl Nelson was assigned to 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Aug. 18, 2011 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

Lcpl Nelson graduated from Pace High School in 2010 where he was in Navy Junior ROTC. He was also in the Young Marines of Pensacola. He joined the Marines in September last year, following in the footsteps of his father, Scott, Army veteran, mother, Becie, who retired from the Navy and his grandfather who was in the U.S. Air Force.

He deployed to Afghanistan in March and was promoted to Lance Corporal in June.

"I can’t describe in words the kind of young man Travis was in terms of his patriotism," father, Scott Nelson said. "His willingness to defend his country was very strong."

On July Fourth, when the Nelson family gathered with Travis before he shipped out for Afghanistan, the young Marine, said his father, was "a little nervous, anxious, and very proud."

"We’re getting through this with prayer," said father, Scott, "a lot of friends, a lot of supporters. And then there’s a sense of knowing that Travis was doing what his life dream was."

Father, Scott, described his son has having had "a great love for the outdoors. He was always outside fishing and hunting. And he was a comical young man. He loved to make people laugh."

Lcpl Nelson was laid to rest at Oak Hill Cemetery where he was buried next to his grandfather.

Lcpl Nelson is survived by his parents, Beckie and Scott; siblings, Daniel, Chandler, Jenna and Anna; and fiancee, Madelina, who was his high school sweetheart.

Marine Lance Cpl. Travis M. Nelson nwas killed in action on 8/18/11.