Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Marine Lance Cpl. Terry E. Honeycutt Jr.

Remember Our Heroes

Marine Lance Cpl. Terry E. Honeycutt Jr., 19, of Waldorf, Md.

LCpl Honeycutt was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Oct. 27, 2010 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, from wounds received Oct. 21 while conducting combat operations.

Honeycutt was a 2009 graduate of North Point High School and his aunt, Bonnie Shipley Honeycutt of Elkridge, said he loved life, music and playing the guitar and he also loved his family and the Marines.

Honeycutt was with the 2nd Battalion 9th Regiment stationed out of Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, N.C., according to information on his Facebook page.

"We just know he's our guardian angel," Bonnie Shipley Honeycutt said.

According to information his mother, Christine Honeycutt, posted on Facebook, Honeycutt was caught in the blast of an improvised explosive device Oct. 20 and suffered extensive tissue and muscle damage to his legs, both of which were amputated later on due to the extent of the injuries. Honeycutt arrived at a hospital in Germany on Oct. 24 and died Oct. 27, according to information from his family.

Retired Lt. Col. Jonathan Brown Sr., Air Force Junior ROTC instructor at North Point, said that Honeycutt was a member of the ROTC program at the Waldorf school for four years. Brown said the first thing he remembers Honeycutt telling him the day they met was, "I can't wait until I become a Marine."

North Point Principal Kim Hill said Honeycutt was heavily involved in the Air Force Junior ROTC program and though it was an Air Force program, Honeycutt frequently expressed his love and desire to be a Marine.

Brown said Honeycutt was heavily involved in the color guard and drill programs through ROTC and was involved with many community events through the program.

Hill said that at 8:15 a.m. Thursday morning staff at North Point read a prepared statement announcing Honeycutt's death. Hill said this was the most personal way to inform a school of 2,200 students without having to announce it over the loud speaker.

Hill said counselors were on site to talk with anyone in need and the school would continue to assist students and staff during this time. Hill also said Honeycutt usually always had a smile on his face. "He was all about energy, enthusiasm and all about passion," she said.

Honeycutt's family and friends have filled his Facebook page with messages of love and support. A memory page was created on Facebook in Honeycutt's honor, which is filled with kind words, memories, photos and condolences from those who knew him and those who did not.

Brown said Thursday that it was Honeycutt's dream to be a Marine. "I really truly believe that Terry Honeycutt was living his dream in the Marine Corps."

Marine Lance Cpl. Terry E. Honeycutt Jr. was killed in action on 10/27/10.

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