LCpl. Brad Shuder, U.S.M.C. (KIA)

Final salute for fallen Marine

Friends and family pay tribute to an El Dorado Hills man killed in Iraq.

The winding road was lined with small American flags and Boy Scouts, each saluting with one hand and waving a flag with the other. Atop the hill, U.S. Marines stood stiff and strong outside a church as a grieving family waited inside.

The church filled to capacity as El Dorado Hills said goodbye to a hero Friday.

Brad Shuder, a 21-year-old Marine and graduate of Oak Ridge High School, was killed in Iraq earlier this month. On a cloudless evening, about 1,000 people packed into Holy Trinity Catholic Church to pay tribute to a young man who friends and family said never gave anything less than his all.

"Brad did something extraordinary: He sacrificed his life for me and you," the Rev. Michael Bugarin told the gathering during a funeral Mass. "Brad did something so that evil would not triumph. We need to stand behind him no matter what we think of the war."

Born on May 6, 1982, in South Korea, Shuder was adopted at 22 months by Glenn and Rose Shuder of El Dorado County.

A montage of photographs displayed at the funeral showed the different sides of his character: a comedian, a superhero, a soldier.

He attended Oak Ridge High School in El Dorado Hills, where he played rugby despite his short stature. He never hesitated to dive for the goal line, even in practice, friends said. He was a referee for a local children's soccer league and counselor to troubled junior high students.

He dreamed of being in the military. His family initially tried to talk him out of it, but ultimately saw his determination and supported his decision.

One month after Sept. 11, 2001, Shuder departed for Camp Pendleton to begin training as a U.S. Marine. There his toughness impressed even the drill sergeant, one Marine said.

"We saw him one month after he came back from basic, and he just glowed," said family friend Marilee Flannery. "His energy and ability and his spirit were just amazing. I feel like I have to live my life a little better because of him."

Shuder served his first tour of duty in Iraq from January to July last year.

In February, he agreed to return for a second tour.

"Brad went on that second tour to Iraq, even with a premonition that he would not return," said Bugarin, who was Shuder's first cousin through his adopted parents.

"His life, and even his death, has enriched us."

Shuder, a lance corporal with Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, was known to his fellow soldiers as someone trustworthy and dependable.

"He was a good team leader, always more worried about the Marines under his control than himself," said Spencer Hale, a fellow lance corporal in Echo Company who attended the funeral. "I could talk to him about any problem. Anybody could."

At the beginning of April, Shuder was among thousands of Marines who encircled Fallujah, 35 miles west of Baghdad. The city in Anbar province has been a hotbed of insurgent activity involving remnants of former President Saddam Hussein's Baath Party government.

On April 12, Shuder was near Fallujah when he was killed by hostile fire, according to the military. Further details have not been released.

"He died trying to save other people," said a Marine named Brian, who also grew up in El Dorado Hills but served in a different unit. He declined to give his last name.

April has become the bloodiest month for the military since the invasion. At least 100 soldiers and five American civilians have been killed. Dozens of foreigners also have been kidnapped.

At the end of Friday's Mass, a 21-gun salute was fired outside the church as two Marines held the flag over Shuder's coffin. The flag was presented to his family, and his sister Chelsey Ann Shuder hugged it to her chest as the hearse pulled away.

Shuder will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery in a private ceremony.