Marines honor 100 who sacrificed their lives

In a ceremony filled with tears and expressions of pride, 100 members of the Regimental Combat Team 5 killed during the recent deployment in Iraq were remembered Thursday as among “the finest young men our nation has ever produced.”

Col. Larry Nicholson, the regiment’s commanding officer, said the 100 were part of the “newest greatest generation” who answered their nation’s call after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

“The fact is that Iraq is a better and safer place because of the services and sacrifices made by the Marines, sailors and soldiers” of the 5th regiment, Nicholson told the hundreds of Marines and dozens of family members assembled for the memorial.

It was a day when the sprawling base was filled with Iraq-related activity: In one area, combat Marines were being trained for deployment; in another, 300 Marines returned from Iraq to a joyous greeting from family members; and, in a courtroom, a sentencing hearing was underway for Lance Cpl. Robert Pennington, who confessed to conspiracy and kidnapping in the death of an unarmed Iraqi man.

The memorial service was held on a parade ground near the headquarters of the regiment, known as the “fighting fifth,” the most heavily decorated regiment in the Marine Corps. The 5th was the first unit across the Line of Departure into Iraq when the assault on Baghdad began nearly four years ago; for its latest deployment, it was assigned to Al Anbar Province, the heart of the Sunni insurgency.

Breaking with a Marine tradition that says Marines from the “old corps” were the toughest ever, Nicholson said that Marines of the past “are no match for the caliber of the Marines of today.” As their commander, each death was a “numbing” experience, said Nicholson, who was himself severely wounded in a previous deployment to Iraq.

Each of the names was read solemnly, to the accompaniment of a tolling bell. For each name a Marine marched toward a row of inverted rifles and placed a dog tag on them. There were 13 inverted M-16s, each representing a battalion or company that made up the regiment.

The reading of the names took nearly 20 minutes. Among the dead were 91 Marines, 7 soldiers and 2 Navy corpsmen. The most common rank was a Marine lance corporal.

Family members, some of whom had traveled across the country for the ceremony, listened and wept and, when the ceremony was over, talked of their grief but also their pride in their family member’s military service.

“I feel our family is broken,” said Madeline Buerstetta, mother of Lance Cpl. Richard Allen Buerstetta, 20, killed Oct. 23. “We’re missing a part, and the hurt won’t stop.”

With tears streaming down her cheeks, Buerstetta explained how her son, a reservist, was killed in a roadside bomb explosion that ripped apart his Humvee, also killing another Marine and injuring a third.

“He died doing something he loved,” she said. “He was a Marine’s Marine.”

Buerstetta’s father, Paul, a healthcare consultant in Tennessee, said he has trouble coping with the fact that “many people don’t seem to realize there is a war going on, that young men are dying for them. Every day is hard.”

Some of the 100 were on their second or third tours in Iraq. Others were on their first.

“He was only there 18 days and he was blown up,” said K’Ann Hines of Ventura, mother of Lance Cpl. Joshua Hines, 26, killed Oct. 25 by a roadside bomb while on foot patrol.

Hines is survived by his parents, his wife and their son, Rylie, born just eight weeks before Hines was killed. “People should remember my son’s smile,” his mother said. “He’d do anything for anyone. He even put his life down for his buddies.”

During the ceremony, regimental Sgt. Major Melvin Roundtree quoted from John 15:12-13: “This is my commandment: Love one another as I have loved you. There is no greater love than this: To lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

Lance Cpl. Lucas Bell, 22, still recuperating from a gunshot that shattered his femur, came to show respect for Marines from his unit, a reserve group from the Midwest. He was evacuated after being wounded Dec. 7 and remains on crutches.

“For me, it was the first time I was able to mourn for my brothers,” said Bell, his eyes red-rimmed. “It was good to get it off my chest. It was beautiful.”

Madeline Buerstetta said she prays daily for the Marines still in Iraq.

“They’re men, but to me they’ll always be boys, my boys,” she said as her husband tried to comfort her.

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tony.perry@latimes.com