Joshua Sticklen laid to rest

VIRGINIA BEACH - Josh Sticklen was a high-energy, hardworking young man who was always quick with a smirk or a story about his latest exploits.

Friends called him "Stick" even when others began to call him "Corporal."

Sticklen enlisted in the Marine Corps in October 2002 and became an intelligence specialist. Cpl. Josh Sticklen, 24, was killed Dec. 3 in a helicopter crash in Iraq.

On Wednesday, friends and family gathered at a funeral service at Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base to say their goodbyes.

Sticklen is survived by family in Virginia Beach and his wife, Jennifer, of Kaneohe, Hawaii. The family declined to speak with reporters but issued an eight-page statement on Wednesday with recollections from friends and family.

According to the family, Sticklen graduated in 2000 from Salem High School, where he was a member of the Navy's junior ROTC program. He worked in food service and with a delivery company before he joined the Marines.

Sticklen was stationed in Hawaii with the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force. He served in Afghanistan this year before deploying to Iraq.

The helicopter Sticklen was riding in had a mechanical failure and crashed into a lake, according to the Department of Defense. Sticklen was one of four service members killed. Several others were injured.

Family members said more than 500 mourners paid their respects Tuesday evening at a Virginia Beach funeral home. His parents, wife and two sisters have spent hours on the phone with close friends from high school and the Marine Corps.

Dan Magistri, a high school friend, remembers listening to Sticklen's stories about his deployments and military life. His friend often wore a black leather jacket, jeans, a tight black T-shirt with a link-chain necklace.

He was seldom without his Marine Corps gear, recalled Magistri.

Magistri prayed for his friend during his deployments. Yet despite the dangers of war and personal unrest, he wrote, "when you look into Stick's face, you would never know he had a care in the world."

From the Virignian Pilot

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