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In Memoriam |
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In Memoriam |
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LCpl. Michael B. Wafford, U.S.M.C (KIA)
Marine Lance Corporal
Age 20
Marine Lance Cpl. Michael Blake Wafford wanted to be a soldier for as long as friends
and family can remember.
"At 14 he announced he was going to go into the military, and it was no surprise," said his sister, Brooke Wafford of Spring, Texas.
A few days ago, his family learned that Wafford, 20, had been killed in combat in Iraq.
He was one of four Marines killed April 8 in Anbar province. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force based at Camp Pendleton.
Wafford, who was single, planned to become a history teacher when his military tour ended, his sister said.
Before being stationed at Camp Pendleton, he lived with his mother and sister in Spring.
"He was so many things. He was the strong silent type," his sister said. "But he was very witty."
Neighbor Cindy Willis, who watched Wafford grow up, told the Houston Chronicle that Wafford wrote home shortly before he died to tell his family that people in Iraq were "very proud" that Americans were helping out.
"He wholeheartedly, 100 percent believed in what he was doing," Brooke Wafford said.
Friends from church and school have been visiting Wafford's family since the news, she said. Wafford graduated from Klein High School in 2001, where students and faculty reacted with sadness, said a coach at the school.
"We've had an outpouring of support from friends and our church, even e-mails," Brooke Wafford said. "His friends and his family were the two most important things in his life."
Wafford enlisted as a senior in high school. After graduation, he entered basic training on Aug. 6, 2001. His awards included the Combat Action Ribbon and National Defense Service Medal. He was deployed last year to support the war in Iraq and was on his second deployment there when he was killed.
Wofford's unit was among the first to enter Baghdad last year, Willis told the Houston Chronicle. He came home for Thanksgiving before being shipped back to Iraq.
"We're all devastated," Willis said. "You just worry all the time, but
you know somebody has to do it. We're real proud there are men and women who are out there
serving our country."
– Elena Gaona