Mourners remember Oregon Marine killed in Iraq (Randy Lee Newman)

REDMOND (AP) — In the stadium where Lance Cpl. Randy Lee Newman celebrated his graduation from Mountain View High School three years ago, more than 2,300 mourners gathered to remember him.

The 21-year-old U.S. Marine died Aug. 20 in Iraq when an improvised explosive device ripped into his armored vehicle, the military said.

Pfc. Christopher Grimm, who served with Newman, remembered his energy, recalling that once after the two came back from patrol, Newman coaxed him out of his bunk for a late-night game of catch.

"I thought... Man this guy has no quit in him," Grimm said.

During the two-hour service, Newman’s parents, Jerry and Ramona Newman, sat silently with his younger brothers — 18-year-old Dan and 8-year-old Ken — sitting between them. Among the speakers were Gov. Ted Kulongoski and Rep. Greg Walden.

Newman was less than a month from returning to Bend after a six-month deployment. He had twice before been wounded by roadside bombs.

Read the rest at the Corvallis Gazette Times

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