Donald S. Brown killed in combat

ROXBURY -- A Marine who graduated from Roxbury High School in 2005 and was engaged to be married was killed in Iraq when a roadside bomb detonated near his Humvee, military officials said Thursday.

Pfc. Donald Brown, 19, was one of four Marines killed in Iraq on Wednesday, said Maj. Thomas Garnett, a casualty assistance call officer for the Marines stationed at Picatinny Arsenal.

It is unclear whether the three other Marines were killed by the same improvised explosive device that took Brown's life.

"All we know is it was an IED," Garnett said. "He was in a Humvee, and an IED went off."

Brown's unit -- 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine, 3rd Division, Echo Company-- arrived in Iraq in September and was stationed in the Haditha area of the Al Anbar province.

Brown's 23-year-old brother, Kenneth, who served three tours in Iraq as a Marine, inspired Donald to enlist, his parents, Philip and Annette, said during an interview at their Eyland Avenue home.

"He always wanted to be a Marine when he got older," Philip Brown said of his youngest son. "It was just something he wanted to do.

When his older brother joined the Marines, that solidified it in his mind. He looked up to his older brother, no doubt."

He also is survived by two other siblings: his sister Michele, 28, and brother Joshua, 27.

The Browns' two-story house had an American flag rippling in the wind near the front door on Thursday. A small red banner with "U.S. Marines" in yellow lettering also was affixed to the flag pole.

A car in the driveway was adorned with military stickers, including one for the Marines, and another that read "Support Our Troops." A small U.S. flag was posted above the family's green mailbox on Eyland Avenue.

Brown had become engaged in May to Mount Olive resident Megan Robinson after dating her for more than a year, said Robinson's friend Kimberly Mooney, 19, of Mount Olive.

"He was one of the most amazing people I've met in my entire life," Mooney said. "He would do anything for anyone. He was so much fun, too, had a sense of humor and such a good outlook on life in general. He was just a really good person."

Mooney continued, "He was just one of those people who, you say his name and five people turn around and say 'Don Brown? I love Don Brown!' I've never met one person who didn't like Don Brown. He's an all-around good guy."

Mooney said she last saw Brown in August, during his three-week visit home before leaving for Iraq. Mooney, too, recognized that Brown always wanted to be a Marine.

She said Brown didn't talk much about his deployment, but "when he found out he was going to Iraq he was pretty optimistic about it."

She said Robinson and Brown were always happy together.

"Just seeing them together made me happy," Mooney said. "They were so in love with each other."

Mooney said she learned Wednesday evening that Brown had been killed, shortly after his parents broke the news to Megan, and was shocked.

"I didn't want to believe that it was true," she said.

Mooney, a student at Richard Stockton College in New Jersey, packed up her stuff and immediately returned home to be with Robinson.

"I wanted to be with her and make sure she was okay," she said.

Noreen Risko, director of school/community programs for the Mount Olive school district, who works with Robinson's mother, said she called church pastors to start a prayer chain to support the grieving families.

"Almost every denomination immediately got involved," Risko said.

The U.S. military said 96 U.S. troops have died so far in October, the most in a single month since October 2005, when the same number were killed. The spike in deaths has been a major factor behind rising anti-war sentiment in the U.S., fueling calls for President Bush to change tactics.

The deadliest month for U.S. forces in Iraq was November 2004, when military offenses primarily in the then-insurgent stronghold of Fallujah, 40 miles west of Baghdad, left 137 troops dead, 126 of them in combat. In January 2005, 107 U.S. troops were killed.

Marine Lance Cpl. Aedan Albrecht, 20, of Mount Olive, who is home on leave, befriended Brown in Iraq as Brown's unit took over for Albrecht's unit -- 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines, India Company.

Brown had spotted a large map of the United States when he arrived in Haditha and saw written names and hometowns of the Marines who were serving there. He saw Albrecht's name and location and sought him out.

"It turned out I was in the same place as him," Albrecht said during a phone interview. "He woke me up at 2 a.m. We sat around and talked for a couple of hours about the area."

Albrecht said Brown was a professional Marine.

"He acted and conducted himself well, he asked the right questions." Albrecht said.

"Some of the training that we were taught was outdated," Albrecht said. "The enemy's tactics changed day to day. I brought him up to speed. I tried to tell him most of the stuff I could."

Brown had asked Albrecht what to do if his unit was attacked with an IED.

"What do you do? Do you panic?," Albrecht said. "You don't have time for panic. You take care of the casualties and get them back."

Albrecht said his unit was familiar with IEDs because it was attacked at least 15 times by them in the Haditha area. None of his men were killed, but four were wounded.

Albrecht said IEDs are typically mortar or artillery shells packed with explosives. They're concealed on the side of the road and can be triggered either remotely or by a "hard line," wiring attached to a detonating mechanism that's usually 200 to 300 meters away.

He continued, "What struck me was that he was real eager to be there. He understood what he was putting on the line, and he respected his responsibility. I want his family to know he seemed like a great guy, and I was actually planning on going out and having some fun with him when he came back. I'm really sorry for their loss."

For Albrecht, hearing the news at home made it all the more painful.

"Over there, hearing news about your buddies, you don't have time to reflect on it. You need to keep going.

"Here," he said, "it's affecting me."

Roxbury school district assistant superintendent Ed Hade said students and teachers were told of Brown's death Thursday and that grief counselors were on hand to speak to students.

"People are just devastated in terms of hearing about his loss," Hade said, adding that flags will fly at half-mast throughout the district today.

Brown was very involved in track, both running races and high-jumping during his senior year, and played football for the Roxbury Gaels. A common theme of Brown's life, his love of the Marines, was noticed by school officials, too.

"One of the things that the coach (Cosmo Lorusso) mentioned, one of Don's dreams since he was a freshman -- he always wanted to be a Marine," Hade said, adding that Brown routinely wore U.S. Marine T-shirts to school.

"He always wanted to be part of a team," Hade said.

"The students and the staff just remember him as an all-around good guy, just considerate of everyone," Hade said.

Hade said Brown's father relayed a message to the school.

"Tell the students he died honorably serving his country," Hade said.

The district will hold a Nov. 8 Veteran's Day ceremony during which Brown will be honored, Hade said.

Roxbury Mayor Martin Schmidt, a Vietnam veteran, recounted a saying that's popular among Purple Heart recipients.

"All gave some and some gave all," Schmidt said. "This kid gave it his all for us. We should keep him in our thoughts and prayers."

From the Daily Record