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IN LOVING MEMORY (July 23, 2004) I got a call from my sister this morning, my nephew Vincent was killed in action yesterday over in Mosul, Iraq. This jolt was unexpected and really took my breath away, of course this kind of news is never really expected. You just kind of know of that possibility in the back of your mind, but you tend to ignore it and hope for the best. He was only twenty-two years old and just got married seven months before this. I was so proud of him when he went and volunteered for the Marines after 9/11. He said, he felt a strong obligation to do his patriotic duty for his country. He already did one tour of duty in Iraq before he came home on leave to be married. He only had three days together with his new wife before he had to ship out again for his second tour in Iraq. (August 1, 2004) Vincent came home from Iraq in a box today, the funeral is scheduled for my birthday this week. Unfortunately, I am also scheduled to have surgery tomorrow so I won’t be able to go to his funeral in New Jersey.