Joshua D. Pickard slain by sniper

A Camp Lejeune Marine who had once been pen pals with students at his old elementary school, writing them from Iraq, was killed Tuesday on his second tour of duty there.

Cpl. Joshua D. Pickard, 20, of Merced, Calif., died after being hit by small arms fire while riding in the turret of an armored vehicle, said his mother, Terri Pickard.

He was stationed at Camp Fallujah, about 30 miles west of Baghdad in Anbar Province, the province where U.S. forces have suffered the most casualties in the war.

According to a news release from the Pentagon, Pickard was assigned to 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force.

He attended three high schools around Merced, which is in central California, and graduated in 2004 from Buhach Colony High School, where he played football his senior year.

"He wasn't a star at football, but he gave it his all," his mother said. "He was our star."

Pickard loved to hang out with family and friends and to snowboard and ride four-wheelers, she said. He also liked kids.

During his first tour, he was pen pals with a third-grade class at McSwain Elementary in Merced. On Wednesday, the Merced Sun-Star ran a photo of Pickard visiting the school between deployments. He was smiling as a boy tried on his body armor and helmet.

Pickard joined the Marines because he thought it was his duty, said his mother. "He was doing what he wanted to do, serving his country, and we're very proud of him," she said.

Survivors also include his father, Larry Pickard, and three brothers: Darren, Tyson and Dylan.

From the News Observer