LCpl. Donald J. Cline, U.S.M.C (KIA)

(reprinted from the Las Vegas Sun  April 17, 2003)

Hailed as hero, dead Marine's remains back home in Nevada

RENO, Nev. (AP) - The remains of one of the first Marines reported missing in combat in Iraq more than three weeks ago returned home to Nevada Wednesday night where his young widow and 30 tearful family members greeted the flag-draped casket.

Tina Cline, 20, and the family contingent stood in a chilly, light rain on the tarmac at Reno-Tahoe International Airport as six Marines unloaded the remains of Lance Cpl. Donald John Cline, 21, Sparks.

Cline was killed March 23 in fighting in southern Iraq but his remains were not identified until late last week.

Bag pipes played "Amazing Grace" as the casket was unloaded from a commercial 737 at about 9:30 p.m. It had been flown from Dover, Del., to Denver and then Reno, airport officials said.

Several of the family members, including a number of children, were in tears along with Tina Cline, who placed a bouquet of flowers on the casket before climbing inside a silver hearse for the ride to a local funeral home.

"To us, he's a hero," said Ted Sauers, an uncle from Minnesota who traveled to Reno to support Tina Cline and the couple's two young sons. "But I don't think John would think of himself as a hero. John was one of those people that said, `Hey, I'm just doing my job,'" he said.

As the soldiers carried the casket toward the hearse, Tina Cline stepped away from the family group and walked 10 paces to stop them and place the flowers on top. She turned and put her hand on her hand, and then touched it to her face before breaking into tears again as her mother, stepfather and brother grabbed her arms.

"She's a strong girl, but this is really hard now," said Cory Bryson, Tina's brother and longtime best friend of Cline who first introduced the couple. "She's really going to need our support now."

Tina Cline declined comment Wednesday night. She said earlier she's been overwhelmed by the outpouring of prayers, letters of condolences and donations being sent to her and her two young sons.

"It has just been unbelievable how many people have been nice to me and giving me hugs, money, handmade quilts," she said. She has opened an account at Sierra Schools Credit Union for donations to her sons, Dakota, 2, and Dillon, 7 months.

First Sgt. Jason Ruff said a private family funeral was scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at First Baptist Church in Sparks. The public is welcome to pay respects on Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Ross, Burke, Knoble Mortuary, he said.

Ruff said it has been an emotionally draining experience for Tina Cline "but she is a pretty strong woman.

"Her husband paid the ultimate sacrifice and as long as she needs us, we'll be there for her," he said.

Cline was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade based at Camp Lejeune, N.C. He and Tina Cline met while attending Reed High School in Sparks and married at the American Legion Hall in Sun Valley on Oct. 21, 2000 - the day after he graduated from Marine boot camp.

The family lived at Camp Lejeune until Cline received orders to ship out just after Christmas. Since then Tina Cline and her sons have been living with her mother in Sun Valley, just north of Reno.

Earlier this week in the Los Angeles area, Crescenta Valley High School in La Crescenta added a picture of Cline to its walls memorializing former students killed while serving their country.

Born in Sierra Madre, Calif., Cline moved with his family to La Crescenta, where he attended Monte Vista Elementary, Rosemont Middle and Crescenta Valley High schools. While he was in high school, his family moved to Sparks, Nev.

In the days after he was reported missing, his wife received a letter that included a wooden Dodge "Dakota" pickup truck that Cline had carved out of Kuwaiti wood for his eldest son.

"As young as he was, he was such a family man. I think he got more joy out of playing with the toys than the kids did," said Tamme Sweringen, Cline's mother-in-law.