In Memoriam

21-year-old Kentucky Marine killed in Iraq; was scheduled to return to U.S. next month

BURLINGTON, Ky. -- A Marine from Northern Kentucky, who was scheduled to come home Sept. 14, was killed in Iraq Tuesday.

Cpl. Christopher Tyler Warndorf, 21, of Burlington, died during combat operations in Anbar province, the military said.

Warndorf was serving in and around Ramadi, a dangerous area for insurgent attacks, and it was his second tour of duty in Iraq, his family said.

He is survived by his mother, Tina, 42; brother Nick, 18; and sister Katelyn, 14, all of Covington. His father, Christopher J. Warndorf, died 10 years ago.

Warndorf attended Conner High School .

He joined the Marine Corps after high school, and after one tour in Haiti and another in Fallujah, he was called back to Iraq in March.

When he was last home he gave his car to his brother, who uses it to drive to pre-law classes at Northern Kentucky University.

Nick Warndorf said his brother was not excited about going back to Iraq. "He lost a couple friends in Iraq the first time."

Lillian Warndorf, Christopher Warndorf's grandmother, recalled what her grandson said the last time he visited. "He looked at me and he said, 'Just don't ask me how many people I had to kill,' " she said.

He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Warndorf is the 41st soldier from Kentucky to die in the Iraq war since it began in March 2003.