Terry Allen remembered

Terry and Katie Allen kept their engagement secret for months, Katie hiding her ring on the chain she wore with Terry's dog tags.

They knew their families might object. Both were under 21 and because Terry was a Marine stationed in Iraq, where Katie first contacted him through a pen-pal program, the couple had only met face-to-face three times.

Everybody was going to say, 'What are you two thinking?'" said Katie Allen, now 18, describing the evolution of a love forged through letters, phone calls and all-too-brief visits. "The first time I met (his family) I was 'girlfriend,' the second time I was 'fiancee,' and the third time I was 'wife.'"

Now, Katie Allen is a widow.

Cpl. Terry Allen, 21, of Pennsauken, Camden County, was killed early Saturday in Iraq, his family said -- just days before he was supposed to come home for good.

From the Star Ledger

Related Link:
Terry (Terrence P.) Allen dies 'from a non-hostile incident'