Sgt. Krisna Nachampassak, U.S.M.C (NCD)

Krisna Nachampassak, 27, three others killed in Humvee accident

"Krisna Nachampassak, 27, a 1995 graduate of Lake Braddock Secondary School in Burke, was distraught when he first learned last winter that his Marine unit was slated to leave for Iraq in the summer.

He wasn't happy because he didn't want to leave his wife and kids," said the Marine sergeant's wife, Danile, 30. "His main passion was his family. He was humble and very loving to his family."

Shortly after arriving in Iraq in mid-June, tragedy struck her husband's unit.

Krisna and three other members of the 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, were killed in a Humvee accident in the Al Anbar Province of Iraq on July 10, according to Department of Defense officials.

"They [military officials] told me the Humvee he was in turned over into a gulch," Danile said by telephone from her home at Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, Calif. "They said he died of multiple blunt traumas."

Military officials are still investigating the accident.

From grieving the loss of her husband to maneuvering through a house full of comforting relatives, Danile's life has been turned upside down since learning of her husband's death.

"I had not only lost my husband, but I had lost my best friend, my companion, my confidant and my soul mate," she said.

The two met in Hawaii, where Krisna was once stationed. They were married in 1999, and, before Krisna's death, were raising two sons together—Krisna's stepson, Roman, 14, and Jayven, 4.

"He was the love of my life next to our children," she said. "He was my diamond in the rough."

Danile said Krisna excelled at being a Marine. While in the service, he was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, according to military authorities.

He was a Marine "lifer" who spent most of his free time with his family but also made time to indulge his love of sports, Danile said.

"He wanted a lot of children so he could have his own soccer team to coach," she said.

While attending Lake Braddock, Sandy Anderson (whose last name was Buck at the time), was one of Krisna's better friends.

Anderson, and others at the school, knew Krisna as Johnny.

"Johnny and our friends loved to hang out and play around," she said. "He was one of the funniest people that I have ever met. He loved photography. His work still adorns my house."

Anderson, 27, who is now married to a captain in the Army and resides near Fort Riley, Kan., said she lost contact with Krisna after he enlisted in the Marines in August 1995. They just recently started talking again after Anderson stumbled upon Krisna's e-mail address late last year.

"I didn't know why I was so anxious to get back in touch with him last fall, but I guess now I do," she said. "I kept close contact with him during all that training [for deployment to Iraq]. He didn't really talk that much about what his opinion of the war was, but my guess is that no matter what his opinion was, he would have done what he was asked."

Danile said she talked to "Nacho," her nickname for Krisna, just before he was killed.

"He said he didn't like it [being in Iraq] because it was too hot and he was so far from his family," she said. "He kept saying he just wanted to come home. ... But he swore his duty to the Marine Corps."

Ceremonies honoring Krisna are scheduled to take place on both coasts of the country over the coming week, including one at the Wat Lao Buddhist Temple in Catlett, Va., on Sunday. Once the ceremonies are completed, Danile said she plans to move back to Hawaii, where she wants to raise her children near her family and continue training to become a nurse.

She will take Krisna's ashes with her.

"I just want to take him home with me," she said.