Michael Scholl remembered

FRIEND -- Steve Scholl of Friend says that his son loved children and wanted to help people.

"He was a great kid to be around, a really fun person," Scholl said from his home yesterday. "He was doing what he could for others."

His son, Lance Cpl. Mike Scholl, 21, died Tuesday from wounds sustained while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province in Iraq.

"He loved people, wanted to do good for people," the Marine's father said. "I talked to him three weeks ago and he said, 'They need me here, we're doing good for the Iraqi people.' He wanted to help them, and he felt this was a way to make a difference. He was trying to help others."

Steve and his wife, Donna, Michael's mother and step-father, Debora and Jack Chandler of Lincoln, and their extended families are planning a memorial service in Lincoln for Monday. Burial will take place in Washington State, where Michael's wife, Melissa, and infant daughter, Addison, have lived since his deployment.

Michael and Melissa Scholl were married in 2005, the day before he left for a tour of Afghanistan.

Steve said this was his son's first tour of Iraq and that he had only been there for a short time. A few weeks after Scholl arrived in Iraq, his daughter was born. Family members said this fact is one of the saddest factors in this situation -- because he was never able to see his only child.

Debora Chandler told the Associated Press that her son loved his family -- especially his wife and baby.

"He recorded stories for her and sang to her and recorded those for her. He called every day to talk to (them)," Chandler said.

Scholl became a Marine in 2003. He had been denied enlistment at first because he was diagnosed with a kidney condition as a toddler, but he overcame several hurdles to obtain a medical waiver, Chandler said.

Scholl was helping rebuild an oil refinery in Iraq when he was killed. Steve said he always feared that his son would be killed.

"Deep in your heart you always wonder if you're gonna get that call -- that it was your son," the Friend resident said. "But he felt sorry for the Iraqi children and wanted to do anything he could to help them. He always loved children, and loved people -- and he just wanted to do his part in this world."

The Defense Department said Scholl was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Kaneohe Bay in Hawaii.

"I guess we can't have it all," Steve Scholl said. "No matter how we think things should go, or how we want things to be, that's not always the case. But my son did what he could to make a difference."

From the News Times

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Michael D. Scholl dies from combat wounds