Remember Our Heroes
Cpl Gregory W. Courtney, 22, of Allegan, MI.
Cpl Courtney was killed in a car crash on September 16, 2011 when he failed to negotiate a curve, ran off the road and struck two trees. Deputies stated that after running off the road, Courtney's car “continued to roll and tumble, ejecting the driver” and then struck some smaller trees before catching fire. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators were not clear if Courtney was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash due to the extensive damage to his vehicle.
Cpl Courtney joined the Marines after graduating from Allegan High School in 2007 where he was on the wrestling team and gone on to state championship his senior year.
Cpl Courtney had just returned home in early August after being deployed to Afghanistan for a year.
“I'm still numb, I don't have any emotion right now because I just can't believe it,” Courtney's aunt, Shirlee Boitnott. “I didn't expect this to happen because he made it through Afghanistan.”
“He was pretty much one of a kind,” Boitnott said. “He's the type of person, he would give the shirt off his back for anybody. He'd go up and give anyone a hug.”
Boitnott said her brother left his home for work Friday and saw deputies' cruisers at the scene of the crash, but didn't know his son was involved until he got a call at work later in the day from one of his other sons.
Cpl Courtney was laid to rest at Ft. Custer National Cemetery in Augusta.
Cpl Courtney is survived by his mother, Lauri; father, Joseph; as well as three brothers, one sister; aunt Shirlee and a grandmother.
1 comment:
My husband and I had the honor of laying a wreath on CPL Courtney's grave in December 2015. This wreath was placed during the Wreaths Across America laying of wreaths at Fort Custer National Cemetery. Interesting to note that my husband is also from Allegan.
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