Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Joseph B. Spence, 24, Scotts Valley; Among 31 Killed in Copter Crash

Joseph Spence waited 12 years to get the Marine bulldog mascot tattooed on his left forearm. He had envied his father’s same tattoo since childhood, and the pair went to the parlor together the day after Spence completed boot camp.

“He always liked looking at it when he was younger and would ask questions about the service,” said his father, Jim, of Scotts Valley, Calif., a former Marine. “I felt proud then and still do.”

Nine days before he was scheduled to leave the Middle East, Marine Lance Cpl. Joseph B. Spence, 24, was killed Jan. 26 in the crash of a military transport helicopter during bad weather near Rutbah, in western Iraq. Also killed were 29 other Marines and a sailor.

Six other U.S. troops were killed the same day in insurgent attacks, marking the deadliest day for American forces since the invasion of Iraq in March 2003.

An infantryman, Spence was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force at Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.

Before going to Iraq, he had done tours in Okinawa, Japan, and the Philippines.

Spence had been counting down the days to be reunited with his wife, Elisabeth, 22, and finally hold his 4-month-old daughter, Providence, said his mother, Becky.

The couple married two years ago, after a six-year courtship. “His goal was to win her love and win her father’s approval. He never gave up, and he never looked elsewhere,” his mother said.

Raised north of Santa Cruz in Scotts Valley, Spence was known as a free spirit who had a knack for making people laugh.

The eldest of three sons, Spence graduated from Beach High School and worked in construction and at a feed store. He loved four-wheel driving and fishing trips to the nearby reservoir.

“We’d pretend we were pirates standing at the front of the boat calling out orders,” said Aaron Bertsch, 25, his brother-in-law and best friend. “Joey made sure he had fun in everything he did.”

Spence postponed his enlistment for two years, until he felt comfortable leaving his family. He spent the time rigorously preparing, running daily with a backpack full of rocks and his pit bull, Magoo, at his side, and sleeping without heat in his bedroom.

After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Spence was ready. “He said, ‘I can’t wait anymore; it’s time to go,’ ” his mother said.

In 2001, Spence and his younger brother, Tommy, 23, enlisted together, carrying out a pact they had made as teenagers. As a longhaired teen, Tommy was constantly pestered by his older brother to get a haircut.

“I told him the only way I’d cut my hair was if I joined the military and he said, ‘Then I’m right there with you,’ ” said Tommy, a Navy petty officer stationed in Florida. “That’s how Joey was. He wanted to do good.”

A memorial service for Spence was held last week in Hawaii, and another service is scheduled Tuesday in Santa Cruz.