
Brent Morel always seemed to be getting out of trouble. Whether it was ending arguments as a bar bouncer, breaking up a scuffle between neighborhood kids or sparring in a college boxing match, Morel could quickly end any fight. Morel, 27, who lived in McKenzie, Tenn., and was stationed at Camp Pendleton, Calif., couldn't escape the Sunni Triangle in Fallujah, where he died on April 7. His platoon was ambushed during a reconnaissance mission. College friend Eric Wells said he remembers Morel stopping a bar brawl of about 20 people near the University of Memphis. "Brent had a broken leg and was on crutches, but he just dove right in the middle of it and took out the ringleaders," Wells said. "He's the toughest guy I ever knew." Morel, an avid...