Comrades share stories and sorrow with families

A ceremony in Kaneohe honors 11 Marines from the 3rd Battalion who were killed in Iraq

Amid hugs and tears, relatives of 11 Kaneohe Marines killed in Iraq found solace in the faces of their loved ones' comrades.

The Fallen 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, casualties in 2006: » April 2: Cpl. Andres Aguilar Jr., 21, of Victoria, Texas, died when the 7-ton truck he was riding in rolled over in a flash flood near Al Asad. » April 20: Staff Sgt. Jason C. Ramseyer, 28, of Lenoir, N.C. » April 22: Cpl. Eric R. Lueken, 23, of Dubois, Ind. » May 12: Lance Cpl. Adam C. Conboy, 21, of Philadelphia died of nonhostile wounds. » May 14: Lance Cpl. Jose S. MarinDominguez Jr., 22, of Liberal, Kan., and Lance Cpl. Hatak Yuka Keyu M. Yearby, 21, of Overbrook, Okla. » May 22: Sgt. David R. Christoff, 25, of Rossford, Ohio, and Lance Cpl. William J. Leusink, 21, of Maurice, Iowa, died from wounds received May 21. » June 14: Cpl. Michael A. Estrella, 20, of Hemet, Calif. » Sept. 14: Lance Cpl. Ryan A. Miller, 19, of Pearland, Texas » Sept. 20: Cpl. Yull Estrada Rodriguez, 21, of Alegre Lajas, Puerto Rico

Nearly 900 members of the 3rd Battalion 3rd Marine Regiment -- also known as the 3/3 -- attended the service at the chapel in Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe Bay.

Lance Cpl. Eric Garcia, 25, stood beside the door of the chapel in rainy weather positioning himself to be one of the first to enter, fearing lack of space would keep him out.

"I need some closure and I need it now," said Garcia, from the Bronx, N.Y. Garcia was a friend of Lance Cpl. Adam C. Conboy, 21, of Philadelphia, who died May 12.

Garcia described his friend as an "excellent and real-loving" person who would help anyone that needed help.

"Seeing his family today, I see where he gets it from," he said.

Olivia Aguilar , the mother of Cpl. Andres Aguilar, 21, of Victoria, Texas, said meeting the Marines who served with her son was a comfort.

"He would talk about his buddies. They would say, 'Hi mom,'" Aguilar said. "It was great to finally have that connection."

Marines in desert-colored uniforms filled pews, aisles and walls of the base chapel, sheltering the surviving relatives nestled in the center of the church.

About 88 relatives attended the ceremony, said Maj. Patrick Beckett . Relatives of every Marine that died attended, he said.

As each Marine's name was read, three Marines marched into the church with dog tags, boots, a helmet and a rifle.

A Marine stood the rifle upside-down behind a framed picture of the Marine. Another rested the helmet on the butt of the gun. The third laid the boots and hung dog tags off the weapon.

"In your service, in the way you die, you taught us how to better live," said Lt. Col. Norm Cooling, the commanding officer, to the families and fellow Marines of the 11 who died. Eighty-five Marines were wounded in Iraq, he said.

The mission of the 3/3 in Iraq was to field and train the Iraqi security forces so they can one day address the country's insurgency themselves, Cooling said. They "more than accomplished that mission," he said.

The 3/3 was stationed in the Al Anbar province of Iraq in the Haditha area. The last of the 3/3 returned earlier this month, relieved by nearly 1,000 Marines of the 2nd Battalion 3rd Marine Regiment, also from Kaneohe.

Tears began to flow after impromptu applause at the end of the service. Marines surrounded the families, offering words of condolence and hugs.

Relatives of Staff Sgt. Jason C. Ramseyer said it helped to meet his friends.

"That was the best part of it," said Lynn Gilmore, the stepmother of Ramseyer's wife.

Ramseyer is survived by a wife and two daughters, ages 2 and 3. He would have been 29 today.

Pam Hooks, Ramseyer's mother-in-law from Lenoir, N.C., said the family spent time with several Marines who shared stories of Ramseyer.

"It brought him back to us," she said. "It'll be harder to leave because we feel like we're leaving him behind."