Nicholas Manoukian remembered

Livingston County sheriff's Deputy Ken Taylor is remembering the life of his second cousin, Lance Cpl. Nicholas J. Manoukian.

Manoukian, 22, of Lathrup Village, was among the four Marines based at Camp Lejeune who died Saturday during combat in Anbar province, Iraq.

He was killed when a roadside bomb hit his Humvee near Ramadi.

"He was young, but he did what he wanted to do," Taylor said. "He was not afraid to serve his country. That was his calling."

The Defense Department identified the other Marines killed as Lance Cpl. Clifford R. Collinsworth, 20, of Chelsea; Lance Cpl. Nathan R. Elrod, 20, of Salisbury, N.C.; and Cpl. Joshua C. Watkins, 25, of Jacksonville, Fla.

Collinsworth, Manoukian and Elrod were members of the 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment of the 2nd Marine Division. Watkins was a member of the division's 2nd Tank Battalion.

Taylor, former school resource officer for the Howell Police Department, said Manoukian was a good kid who enjoyed sports, in particular soccer and hockey.

Taylor said Manoukian was a man not afraid to serve his country.

"He always wanted to be part of a brotherhood," Taylor said. "He liked the Marines because it's a close-knit family."

Manoukian was born in Westland, attended Southfield Christian School and Royal Oak Shrine High School and graduated from Royal Oak Kimball High School in 2003.

He studied art at Oakland University and joined the Marines in June 2004. He first was deployed to Iraq in 2005 and returned to Iraq in October for a second tour of duty, Taylor said.

Manoukian married his longtime girlfriend, Danielle, at the National Shrine of the Little Flower Catholic Church in Royal Oak on July 8.

"We share the same wedding anniversary," Taylor noted. "He will be sorely missed. He died doing what he believed in. He did what he could do to make the world a safer place.

"He gave his life; the ultimate sacrifice," the deputy said.

Manoukian also is survived by his mother, Mary Manoukian Calhoun; stepfather, Gary Calhoun; and stepson, Nico Mullen.

Collinsworth was eager to join the Marines, leaving for boot camp days after graduating from Chelsea High School two years ago.

"He wanted to be a Marine for a long time, and it was a great thing for him," Collinsworth's 22-year-old sister, Melissa Collinsworth, said. She said he hoped to attend college and teach history.

From the Argus Daily Press

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Nicholas J. Manoukian killed in combat