LCpl. Jordan Winkler

(reprinted from the Charlotte Observer, January 1, 2005)

High school teacher Paul Todd said he saw the makings of a Marine almost as soon as he met Jordan Winkler."He led quite well, and people followed him," Todd said. "He thought well on his feet and was a good organizer."

Winkler, 19, of Tulsa, Okla., died Nov. 26 died while stationed at a hospital in Fallujah. He was based at Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Winkler, a student in Todd's 20th-century wars class, visited with him several times after Winkler graduated in 2003 to follow in his footsteps in the 1st Marine Division.