America Needed Them

File image courtesy: U.S. Marine Corps

After six U.S. Marines were killed in a Jan. 19 helicopter crash in Afghanistan's Helmand province, it's difficult to write anything that will put such a devastating loss in perspective. The best way to honor these remarkable men, in my opinion, is to focus on who they were.

Capt. Daniel Bartle, 27, Ferndale, Washington

According to The Seattle Times, Capt. Bartle graduated at the top of his high school class before being accepted to the United States Naval Academy, where he studied electrical engineering. Bartle, who leaves behind his parents and two siblings, was one of the CH-53D Sea Stallion helicopter's pilots.

Capt. Nathan McHone, 29, Crystal Lake, Illinois

Capt. McHone was on his second deployment to Afghanistan with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 363, or the "Red Lions," as the Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii-based Marines are nicknamed. According to the Northwest Herald, McHone was in the Marine Corps for more than six years. He was piloting the helicopter with McHone when it crashed. No cause has been formally identified, although NATO has said there was no apparent enemy activity in the area when the helicopter crashed.

MSgt. Travis Riddick, 40, Centerville, Iowa

The Marine Corps was what Master Sgt. Riddick knew and loved. But nothing was more important to this warrior than his wife and six children, including one who serves in the U.S. Coast Guard. The Des Moines Register reports that Riddick joined the military in 1990 and had served on three deployments to Iraq and two to Afghanistan. According to the article, he was only about "four or five weeks" from beginning his journey home.

Cpl. Jesse Stites, 23, North Beach, Maryland

According to a press release issued by Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Cpl. Stites enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2008 and was on his second deployment to Afghanistan. The decorated Marine hero leaves behind his wife.

Cpl. Kevin Reinhard, 25, Colonia, N.J.

Kathleen Reinhard hoped for a call on her birthday from her brother and only sibling, Cpl. Reinhard. As she explained to The Daily Record in New Jersey, the call never came.

"He was my best friend," Kathleen, 27, told the newspaper. "We were very, very close. He was my confidant."

Reinhard, who had only a few weeks remaining on his second deployment to Afghanistan, also leaves behind his parents.

Cpl. Joseph Logan, 22, Willis, Texas

Cpl. Logan's mother, Deborah, told The Houston Chronicle that her son conquered a serious arm injury to become a Marine.

"He had lots of surgeries and he overcame it and he brought himself back because that was his love: He wanted to be a Marine," she told the newspaper.

Logan leaves behind his parents, wife, and siblings. While the pain being experienced by the Willis family and loved ones of the five heroes their son died alongside cannot be imagined, perhaps what they were doing in Afghanistan will provide some comfort.

"They went in when the Marines on the ground were in trouble," his mother told the paper. "They went in and got them out."

I believe that everyone is put on earth with a purpose. Whether we choose to fulfill that purpose is up to us. When it comes to these Marines, there is no doubt which path they chose.

"These men were not only experienced Marines, but they were husbands, sons, brothers and dear friends," 1st Lt. Diann Olson, spokesman for Marine Corps Base Hawaii, said. "The memories of our fallen Marines are engraved in each and every one who had the privilege to know and serve alongside them, and we will never forget the sacrifice they made to our country and our Corps."

America needed these Marines to repeatedly step up during a time of war. Now, with their missions complete, perhaps God needs them to patrol the skies of heaven. They kept others safe in life, and in death, their honorable legacies still shield us from the darkness.

File image courtesy: Pfc. Andrew Johnston