Kyle J. Grimes
Profile
Age: 21
From: Northampton, Pa.
Assigned to 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Base Hawaii
Incident: Marine Cpl. Kyle J. Grimes was killed Jan. 26 when the CH-53E helicopter in which he was riding crashed near Rutbah, Iraq. Twenty-nine Marines and one sailor also were
Died: January 26, 2005
Bethlehem native killed in Iraq chopper crash
Associated Press
BETHLEHEM, Pa. — A Bethlehem native who loved fishing, football and learning about other cultures, and who planned a career in law enforcement, was among the 31 people killed in a helicopter crash in Iraq, his family said.
Cpl. Kyle J. Grimes, 21, wanted to work for the FBI after he got out of the Marines, according to his mother, Marybeth LeVan, a Bethlehem native who lives in Baton Rouge, La.
“His dedication made him a good Marine,” LeVan said. “He was always a Momma’s boy, so lovable and affectionate and really sentimental. We always could talk really well.”
Like most of the dead, Grimes was based at Marine Corps Base Hawaii at Kaneohe Bay. He was expected to return by the spring.
LeVan, who last spoke to her son two days before Wednesday’s crash, said his death has strengthened her belief in the U.S. mission in Iraq, The Express-Times of...