Luke C. Yepsen slain by sniper

A 20-year-old Marine from Kingwood was killed in Iraq Thursday, only months after he had finished basic training, his family said.

Lance Cpl. Luke Yepsen was a Marine Corps infantryman who had just completed boot camp in August before leaving for Iraq in October. He was shot during combat Thursday in Anbar province.

"He looked trim and fit and healthy, and he was real proud of his new uniform," said Jim Bailey, remembering the last time he saw his nephew. "It's all so sudden, and he was so young."

Family and friends held a candlelight vigil of prayers and songs Friday night in honor of the fallen Marine.

His parents, Sheila and Gary Yepsen, and his older brother, Kyle, 24, were joined by members of St. Martha's Catholic Church in Kingwood for an outdoor prayer service, songs and rosary. His parents asked for privacy during the service and declined to be interviewed.

Deacon Alfredo Soto said that Luke Yepsen, "died the death of a hero. He gave the ultimate sacrifice that anyone can give."

Matt Davis attended the prayer ceremony Friday night and remembered his high school friend.

"He was a real great guy. He was always having a good time," Davis said.

During their years in high school Davis recalled, "We were really into cars ... working on them, looking at them, that sort of thing."

David said that he was "very sad" for the Yepsen family.

One member of St. Martha's who attended the prayer vigil asked not to be identified but said that Yepsen was, "a fine young man. He had great love for his parents, his brother and his friends. I know that in his last letter to his parents, he wrote them that he was full of gratitude and appreciation for their love. Their faith is all that is holding them together."

Tim Hill, a family friend and Marine, said that the pastor of St. Martha's had recently announced at all of the Sunday Masses that Yepsen had been deployed to Iraq.

Church members had been praying for Yepsen, Hill said.

Yepsen had recently proposed to a young woman named Sandra Brumen. Acquaintances of the family said that she had accepted his proposal and was making plans for a wedding.

In a statement released by his family, they said, "he loved playing with his nieces and nephews and was loved deeply by them. He was a large, strapping young man with a black belt in tae kwon do, but mostly he had a big heart."

The family said the man had a "strong desire to serve the country. He wanted to fight for the things we hold dear and since he was strong and capable, and armed with his faith in God, he felt the need to protect us. That he lost his life so young at the age of 20 and so soon after being stationed in Iraq makes it all the more tragic."

Yepsen joined the Marines after leaving Texas A&M University in his freshman year.

"He just decided that was something he wanted to do, Bailey said. "He knew it was risky and he accepted that. He was just very patriotic."

In addition to his fiancee, Yepsen leaves behind a large, close-knit family who now find themselves searching for answers.

"The family is devastated of course," Bailey said. "We're outraged and don't know who to be outraged at."

From the Houston Chronicle