4th Marine Regiment

Multi-star generals attended his Arlington National Cemetery funeral. His name adorns a fighter jet. His words echo in the halls of Congress. Since Marine Sgt. William C. Stacey, age 23, was killed Jan. 31 on a remote hillside inAfghanistan'sHelmand province, a letter he wrote to his family has gained much attention from politicians and the news media. "It's quoted by liberals, conservatives and generals and people across the political spectrum. They use it in different ways.

Multi-star generals attended his Arlington National Cemetery funeral. His name adorns a fighter jet. His words echo in the halls of Congress. Since Marine Sgt. William C. Stacey, age 23, was killed Jan. 31 on a remote hillside inAfghanistan'sHelmand province, a letter he wrote to his family has gained much attention from politicians and the news media. "It's quoted by liberals, conservatives and generals and people across the political spectrum. They use it in different ways.

The Defense Department last week also identified the following American military personnel killed in Afghanistan and Iraq: Marvin Best, 33, of Prosser, Wash.; staff sergeant, Marine Corps. Best was killed June 20 in hostile action in Iraq's Al Anbar province. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force in Twentynine Palms, Calif. Pedro Contreras, 27, of Harris, Texas; lance corporal, Marine Corps.

OAKLAND - Aaron Negherbon remembers the plaintive email he received from a Marine sergeant in Afghanistan. "Aaron, I don't know if you can do this," it read. "Our supply truck was blown up and all the gear from my nine medics was destroyed. " The sergeant was requesting surgical kits, gauze, equipment for cutting into tracheas and "all the etc. " Negherbon, 38, founder and president of TroopsDirect, a nonprofit organization, had the supplies gathered, shipped and in the hands of front-line troops within 10 days.

For 78-year-old Harry Mixer, a retired Marine Corps master gunnery sergeant who served in Korea and Vietnam, the event Friday hit all the important notes. In a brief ceremony after the morning raising of the American flag, Marine brass remembered all the Marines who died in the last year in Afghanistan. An Afghanistan battle streamer was attached to the 1st Marine Division colors — linking Afghanistan with battles of the past. Both actions were important to Mixer — respect for the fallen, and a reminder of the Marine Corps history of battles won, losses suffered and heroes recognized.

After the formal ceremony was over, after the traditional order to "honor the dead" had been given, Marines and family members approached what are called battlefield crosses: individual displays of boots, dog tags, pictures and inverted rifles. Sgt. Dane Bell strode to the display honoring his friend, Sgt. William Stacey, killed by a roadside bomb while on his fifth combat tour. After their son's death, Stacey's parents had made public a letter he had written in which he told them not to mourn if he was killed because "it was all worth it. " That was Stacey, Bell said quietly, never a second thought about the mission.

The Defense Department last week identified the following American military personnel killed in Iraq: Michael C. Balsley, 23, of Hayward, Calif.; private first class, Army. Balsley was one of two soldiers killed Jan. 25 when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division at Ft. Carson, Colo. Alejandro Carrillo, 22, of Los Angeles; sergeant, Marine Corps.

Jason Hill was from a Marine Corps family. His father, grandfather and great-grandfather served in the Marines . Early on, Hill knew he wanted to be a Marine but some youthful misbehavior and a casual attitude toward high school gave the Marines pause about allowing him to enlist. So with urging from his father and guidance from his homeroom teacher at a continuation school in the San Diego suburb of Poway , Hill got serious: bringing up his grades, running every day to get in shape and avoiding behavior that had gotten him in trouble.

OAKLAND - Aaron Negherbon remembers the plaintive email he received from a Marine sergeant in Afghanistan. "Aaron, I don't know if you can do this," it read. "Our supply truck was blown up and all the gear from my nine medics was destroyed. " The sergeant was requesting surgical kits, gauze, equipment for cutting into tracheas and "all the etc. " Negherbon, 38, founder and president of TroopsDirect, a nonprofit organization, had the supplies gathered, shipped and in the hands of front-line troops within 10 days.

Wallace M. Greene Jr., a retired four-star general who was commandant of the Marine Corps during the buildup of U.S. forces for the war in Southeast Asia, died Saturday in Alexandria, Va. He was 95, and the cause of death was multiple myeloma. During a 37-year career, Greene gained a reputation as a brilliant staff officer, long-range planner and troubleshooter. He served as commandant from 1964 through 1967.

After the formal ceremony was over, after the traditional order to "honor the dead" had been given, Marines and family members approached what are called battlefield crosses: individual displays of boots, dog tags, pictures and inverted rifles. Sgt. Dane Bell strode to the display honoring his friend, Sgt. William Stacey, killed by a roadside bomb while on his fifth combat tour. After their son's death, Stacey's parents had made public a letter he had written in which he told them not to mourn if he was killed because "it was all worth it. " That was Stacey, Bell said quietly, never a second thought about the mission.

Jason Hill was from a Marine Corps family. His father, grandfather and great-grandfather served in the Marines . Early on, Hill knew he wanted to be a Marine but some youthful misbehavior and a casual attitude toward high school gave the Marines pause about allowing him to enlist. So with urging from his father and guidance from his homeroom teacher at a continuation school in the San Diego suburb of Poway , Hill got serious: bringing up his grades, running every day to get in shape and avoiding behavior that had gotten him in trouble.

For 78-year-old Harry Mixer, a retired Marine Corps master gunnery sergeant who served in Korea and Vietnam, the event Friday hit all the important notes. In a brief ceremony after the morning raising of the American flag, Marine brass remembered all the Marines who died in the last year in Afghanistan. An Afghanistan battle streamer was attached to the 1st Marine Division colors — linking Afghanistan with battles of the past. Both actions were important to Mixer — respect for the fallen, and a reminder of the Marine Corps history of battles won, losses suffered and heroes recognized.

The Defense Department last week identified the following American military personnel who died in Afghanistan and Iraq or from their injuries at a U.S. military hospital: Marcus R. Alford, 28, of Knoxville, Tenn.; captain, Army National Guard. Alford was one of two guardsmen killed Feb. 21 when their OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter crashed near Qayyarah Airfield West south of Mosul, Iraq, north of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 230th Cavalry Regiment in Louisville, Tenn.

The Defense Department last week also identified the following American military personnel killed in Afghanistan and Iraq: Marvin Best, 33, of Prosser, Wash.; staff sergeant, Marine Corps. Best was killed June 20 in hostile action in Iraq's Al Anbar province. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force in Twentynine Palms, Calif. Pedro Contreras, 27, of Harris, Texas; lance corporal, Marine Corps.

The Pentagon on Thursday disclosed the names of four Marines killed Monday when their CH-46 transport helicopter crashed into a canal in central Iraq shortly after takeoff. They are: Capt. Andrew David Lamont, 31, of Eureka, Calif.; Lance Cpl. Jason William Moore, 21, of San Marcos, Calif.; 1st Lt. Timothy Louis Ryan, 30, of Aurora, Ill.; and Staff Sgt. Aaron Dean White, 27, of Shawnee, Okla.