Ryan T. McCaughn killed in combat

MANCHESTER, N.H. - A North Carolina-based Marine less than two months into his deployment was killed while fighting in Iraq, the military announced Wednesday.

Lance Cpl. Ryan T. McCaughn, 19, of Manchester, was killed Tuesday while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, according to the Department of Defense. Details of his death weren't immediately available.

McCaughn was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

"I just can't believe it," his mother, Nicole Cote, of Manchester told unionleader.com. "It's not supposed to happen this way. Your kids aren't supposed to leave you."

McCaughn was born in North Carolina and lived there and in Missouri before his family moved to New Hampshire about 10 years ago.

Cote said her son joined the Marines during his senior year at Central High School. He graduated last year.

"He said he needed to do this," Cote said. "He said if he could keep one dad from going to Iraq and he could take his place instead, then he'll feel like he's accomplished something."

Teachers said McCaughn had dreamed of joining the military.

"He would talk about it every day," teacher Rebecca Spiro told WMUR-TV. "You could see the excitement in his eyes. We kept journals, and he would write about it all the time."

Spiro said the last time she saw McCaughn, he was visiting the school in his uniform.

"He stopped in to say hello, and for a minute, I didn't recognize him," she said. "He had grown up in the short time he'd been away."

Amy Pennington, who taught McCaughn creative writing, said he talked about how being in the Marines "was changing him and making him a better person."

"You had to become close to Ryan," teacher Susanne Winters said. "He was one of those students who challenged everything, questioned everything. He had an incredible passion. He wanted to learn."

McCaughn also leaves behind his father, stepfather and two brothers.

From the Sun News