Marines and family gather to 'Honor the Dead' at Camp Pendleton

Marines and family gather to 'Honor the Dead' at Camp Pendleton
April 12, 2012

His voice quivering, Marine Cpl. Joseph Orr spoke Thursday of the death of his friend and fellow scout-sniper in Afghanistan. “I broke down in tears when I heard about his death,” Orr said. “It hurt, and it’s painful. I love you, and I miss you, Ben.”

Lance Cpl. Benjamin Schmidt was one of five Marines from the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment killed during the battalion’s recent deployment to Helmand province, long a Taliban stronghold.

For 90 minutes, other Marines told a memorial gathering at Camp Pendleton of their love for the fallen: Schmidt; Staff Sgt. Stephen Dunning; Lance Cpl. Kenneth Cochran; Cpl. Jonluke Bateman; and Sgt. William Stacey.
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