Matthew S. Medlicott dies 'from wounds suffered while conducting combat operations'

Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Medlicott of Houston was on his second tour in Iraq when he was killed instantly Saturday in an explosion, his family said.

Medlicott, 21, was killed when an explosive device was detonated while he was on foot patrol in Al Anbar Province in western Iraq. He served in lraq last year and had been back for only about three weeks.

"He was immediately killed," said his grandmother, Barbara Medlicott of Indianapolis.

"He did not make it to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead."

Medlicott enlisted in 2004 and was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton, Calif. He received numerous medals for his military service, including the Combat Action Medal and the National Defense Service Medal.

"He deserves to be lauded for his devotion and his belief in the rightness of what he was doing," Barbara Medlicott said. "He said, 'We will fight them there or we will fight them here.' "

Matthew, like his older brother, Nicholas, always had an interest in the Marines, and he wanted to make a career of the military.

Nicholas Medlicott is also a Marine and is stationed in Hawaii.

Barbara Medlicott said she last saw her grandson in December when she traveled to California.

The trip was a chance to get away for a while after her husband, and Matthew's grandfather, William Medlicott Sr., died last summer.

At that point, she said, it was clear that Matthew would have to return to Iraq.

His first tour in Iraq began in January 2006 and lasted for about seven months.

"We are all in a state of shock — every one of us," she said. "My only comfort that I have is that his grandfather was there to greet him. He's not alone."

Matthew Medlicott is also survived by his father, William B. Medlicott Jr. of Waukegan, Ill.; his mother, Juyne Sauer; stepfather Mark Bigham; and stepsister Katie Bigham, all of Houston. He also has two stepbrothers, Ian Medlicott and Benjamin Medlicott, of Wonder Lake, Ill.

From the Houston Chronicle