Bringing a friend home

Image courtesy: Houston Marine Moms

Lance Cpl. Bryce Ritzen met Lance Cpl. Garrett Gamble when they were both thinking about joining the Marines at age 17. From that day forward, they were friends who loved to compete against each other in sports. They also became fellow Marines, enlisting on the same day and deploying to Afghanistan just months apart.

On Wednesday, Lance Cpl. Ritzen will be at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to begin escorting his close friend's flag-draped casket home to Sugarland, Texas. According to the Pentagon, Lance Cpl. Gamble was killed in combat on Thursday in Afghanistan's Helmand province. The Houston Chronicle reports that Gamble's death has shocked the community, and especially his friend.

"I always felt Garrett was going to be fine," said Ritzen, who is on leave but will return to Afghanistan in a few months. "To lose him … I felt like I lost my entire family at once."

Reporter Paige Hewitt writes that Gamble was an avid sportsman who had a particular interest in hockey. He is survived by a mother, father, stepfather, and two younger brothers. The family is asking that instead of flowers, donations be made to Houston Marine Moms , which already has a beautiful tribute to the fallen Marine on its homepage.

To the family who loved him, he was the little bundle in blue brought home from the hospital, perfect in every way ... promises of little boy hugs and kisses and smiles in the years to come...the big brother that they could tease and torment (as only little brothers can), knowing all the while that he was their hero and who they loved.

On Saturday morning, many of us will be enjoying some time off at the end of another tough work week. At the same time, the silence of a Texas cemetery will be broken by a 21-gun salute in honor of a young man who felt compelled to serve his country in a time of war. As we relax this coming weekend, let's pause for a moment to think about Lance Cpl. Garrett Gamble's family in Texas. Let's also say thank you to Lance Cpl. Bryce Ritzen for his service, and for bringing his dear friend home.