Cpl. Theodore Bowling, U.S.M.C. (KIA)

Marine corporal proud of service

Theodore Andrew Bowling died in Iraq on Veterans Day

OVIEDO -- Veterans Day will never be the same for the family and friends of Cpl. Theodore Andrew Bowling, a U.S. Marine killed in Fallujah, Iraq, on Nov. 11, the day Americans honor their soldiers.

The hundreds who gathered Saturday to remember Bowling at St. Luke's Lutheran Church found solace in knowing that the 25-year-old Casselberry man was never prouder than when he became a Marine in early 2001.

"I personally know how unbelievably happy Andrew was," said his girlfriend Patricia Kirby.

"He died completely satisfied with what he was doing," Kirby said.

Bowling also derived great happiness from knowing he had a mother who would move mountains for him, she said.

Bowling was nearing the end of his second tour of duty in Iraq and expected to return by January. In February, he planned to visit Vietnam with his mother, Lena Perry, to meet his maternal grandmother for the first time.

Bowling last spoke to his mother a couple weeks before his death. He let her know that he was being sent somewhere and he would not be able to call her, said family friend John Watson, speaking for Perry.

That would have been a difficult stretch without communication for Bowling, said the Rev. Wally Arp.

"He is Lena's only son," Arp said. "A little boy who grew up to be a loving and caring young man, who never missed a holiday to send his mom a card, even for Halloween. He was a person who had a natural instinct to comfort others and help them feel better."

Bowling and his mother moved from Miami to Casselberry when he was 6 months old. He attended Sterling Park Elementary School, South Seminole Middle School and Lake Howell High School, graduating in 1997. His mother raised him alone until he was 8 years old, Watson said.

"His mother loved him very much," Watson said.

Perry loved Bowling so much that during this year's hurricanes, her first priority was making sure the car he bought and customized before volunteering for a second tour of duty was safe in a garage, Watson said.

Phone calls home from Iraq often began with questions about how his car was doing, Watson said. Bowling had added 20-inch wheels and a DVD player, among other features, to his black Nissan Altima 3.5, he said.

But it was of being a Marine that Bowling was most proud.

Todd Plunkett, a close friend, read excerpts of the diary Bowling kept during boot camp at Parris Island, S.C. As he came within days of graduating in March 2001 and earning the eagle, globe and anchor that compose the Marine Corps emblem, Bowling wrote that he was having "one of the best mornings I ever had."

"You cannot know a Marine and not be affected and influenced by the character and strength that has shaped and molded their heart," Arp said. "Those of you who knew Andrew know exactly what I mean."

Bowling was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton. He had been part of the initial Iraq invasion force in 2003 before returning for his second tour in June. Bowling was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart for wounds suffered in combat.

As of 10 a.m. Friday, the last official update, the Department of Defense reported 1,217 U.S. troops had been killed in Iraq, 946 of them combat deaths.

Bowling was also a committed Christian. Among his personal effects were a picture of Jesus and a crucifix.

Phi Tran, Bowling's cousin, credited Perry with transforming her son from an innocent, cute boy to the man Tran grew up joking and playing basketball with.

"The profound impact that Andrew had on us, he had that same profound impact on this country," Tran said.