Cpl. Kevin J. Dempsey, U.S.M.C. (KIA)

Editorial
Marine's Death Hits Home

Friday, December 03, 2004 - Christopher Falvo will never forget his first assignment for the Greenwich Citizen. The 23-year-old reporter, in just his third day on the job, covered the funeral of Cpl. Kevin John Dempsey, USMC at St. Catherine of Siena Church in Riverside. That Falvo is the same age as the deceased only served to underscore the fragility and vicissitudes of life. Dempsey, who was known as "Jack" to his family and many friends, was killed in action in Iraq on Nov. 13. He died in an explosion in Al Anbar province, which includes Fallujah, where coalition forces unleashed a major offensive last week. He was the 17th military person from Connecticut to be killed since the war on terror began in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Dempsey's death hit closest to home. He spent many of his formative years in this community, graduating from Greenwich Catholic Elementary School and serving as an altar boy at St. Catherine's. An athlete who excelled in wrestling and football, he went on to compete in both sports at New Canaan High School, where he graduated in 2000. The principal at Greenwich Catholic School, Genevieve Madonna, remembered Dempsey as a "fine young man who really responded to people who cared about him. He was sensitive and well liked, and he enjoyed his sports. He had great relationships with many of his teachers.

"This is," she said, "quite difficult for all of us." From all accounts, Jack Dempsey was an outstanding young man, a caring person who aspired to become a state trooper after he completed his service with the Marines. Teachers, coaches, guidance counselors and others whose lives he touched spoke of Dempsey in glowing terms. The football coach at New Canaan High School, Lou Marinelli, described him as "tough," but as someone who "cared about his teammates and was unselfish." Dempsey was a starting linebacker and defensive lineman on the Rams team as a senior.

Frank Tatto, a guidance counselor at the school, who first met Dempsey when he was coaching the sixth-grade basketball team at Greenwich Catholic, remembered the Marine as somebody with "a big heart." "It was in his nature to go out of his way to make you feel comfortable," Tatto said. "He always had a lot of energy, always willing to please. I always thought he had a lot to offer. I could see Jack being a mayor or elected to (some other) public office someday." Wars affect the lives of all of us in many ways, but nothing hurts more when somebody we love and care about is lost.

The Greenwich Citizen and the other Brooks Community Newspapers extend their deepest sympathies to his mother, Barbara Dempsey, his sister, Jennifer, and all the friends and comrades of Cpl. Kevin J. "Jack" Dempsey, USMC.