
Marines of 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 5 paused to honor Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Lee Hamilton Deal at Camp Fallujah’s Chapel of Hope on May 28.
Deal, 23, was killed in action in Iraq on May 17.
“Our corpsmen are special to us Marines, and in every sense of the word, they are fellow Marines,” said Lt Col. James N. Bright, commanding officer of 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion.
Bright explained that Deal died “fearlessly clearing a suspected insurgent stronghold with his fellow Marines, willingly sacrificing his own safety to the benefit of his fellow Marines and to the successful accomplishment of the mission.”
Deal was described by 1st Lt. Craig Q. Reese, his platoon commander, as an outspoken, energetic, funny, caring young man who once performed first aid on a cow because that was part of what Deal saw as his responsibility.
“Every platoon needs that funny,...