LCpl. Kyle W. Codner, U.S.M.C (KIA)

'Hometown hero' laid to rest

Shelton mourns loss of young Marine

Friends, family pay their respects to Kyle Codner, 19

SHELTON -- At the same high school from which he graduated merely a year ago, about 1,200 friends and family members of Lance Cpl. Kyle W. Codner gathered on Friday to say their final goodbyes.

The 19-year-old Marine lost his life in action on May 26 in the Al Anbar Province of Iraq.

He was described on Friday by those who knew him as a good role model, a stand-up man, a proud Marine and a hometown hero.

"Friends, Kyle was proud to be a Marine," the Rev. John Ewton said as he began the service. "In his short life, Kyle made a difference in his community and throughout the world."

Some of Codner's friends and members of his family shared their memories of him in a video shown during Friday's service. One friend said Codner told him he didn't want to die, but if he did, he didn't want people to dwell on his death. Rather, he wanted them to remember the good times.

Another friend said he received a letter from the young Marine, telling him he made the right decision entering the service. In the letter, Codner said the Marine Creed he read before going to bed each night gave him goosebumps and that his experience as a Marine was one he wouldn't have changed for anything.

Ewton said Codner was a strong Christian who was concerned about the events of Sept. 11, 2001, and a Marine who took boot camp with good humor. His philosophy in boot camp was "Do what you're told and keep your mouth shut," Ewton said.

He added of Codner, "We're all going to remember his wonderful smile."

Ewton, along with Codner's classmates, talked about his sense of humor and ability to make people smile. One of the last letters he sent to his parents, Wain and Dixie Codner, included two Iraqi bills, Ewton said, along with the warning, "Mom and Dad, don't spend it all in one place."

In addition to his parents, Codner is survived by his sister, Melissa Codner of Shelton, and his fiancie, Megan Kirkover of Shelton.

In the video remembering her brother, Melissa Codner said she'll always feel honored that she was the first person he told about his plans to propose to Kirkover. She said she always thought her children would be her brother's pallbearers. She never expected the job to fall to his classmates.

Codner's classmates recalled road trips they had taken with him, things they did with him as kids and things they did together in high school. They talked about the crush Codner had on Kirkover when she moved to Shelton in the eighth grade, how badly he wanted to ask her to a school dance and how nervous he was as he pinned a flower on her dress.

A poem Kirkover wrote titled "Loving a Marine" was read during the service. In the poem, the 19-year-old talked about saying goodbye to her boyfriend as he left for the service, praying for him in church, sending him letters and the joy of hearing from him in turn.

"Loving a Marine isn't always what they say, and loving him comes with a high price to pay," the poem read.

Kirkover, who became Codner's fiancie after he entered the service, said she received a phone call from him the day before he died. She said Codner wasn't afraid to die; he was just afraid he wouldn't get to spend the rest of his life with her.

Ewton said Codner received specialized training in combat engineering and saved many lives through his work locating and disarming explosive devices. He said Codner often reached out to the children in Iraq, never complained about anything and was a person who always looked to the future.

Codner, a 2003 graduate of Shelton High School, planned to marry Kirkover when he returned to the United States. He joined the military on June 16, 2003, and was deployed to Iraq in mid-February. He was expected home around mid-September.

Codner's parents were presented with a Purple Heart during Friday's service at the school, and the young Marine was given a 21-gun salute at the Shelton Cemetery east of town.

Flags throughout Shelton have been flown at half staff since the word of Codner's death, and red, white and blue decorations lined the roadway between the school and the cemetery.