Thomas E. Houser
Profile
Age: 22
From: Council Bluffs, Iowa
Assigned to 2nd Force Reconnaissance Company, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Incident: Marine Sgt. Thomas E. Houser was killed Jan. 3 by enemy action in Anbar province, Iraq.
Died: January 03, 2005
Council Bluffs Marine killed in Iraq
By Mike Wilson
Associated Press
DES MOINES, Iowa — An Iowa Marine killed in Iraq was remembered Tuesday as a man who would put a smile on anyone’s face.
Sgt. Thomas Houser, 22, of Council Bluffs, was killed in action near Fallujah, his stepdad Larry Ward said.
Ward said he and Houser’s mother, Mary Ellen Ward, learned of Thomas’ death when two Marines rang their doorbell at 12:15 a.m. Tuesday.
“It’s hard ... you don’t even want to think about it but you know it’s happened,” Larry Ward said.
He said he and his wife looked out the window when the doorbell rang.
“When we saw the Marines, we knew what had happened,” Ward said, his voice breaking with emotion.
He said his wife sensed something was wrong because they hadn’t heard from Thomas since last month.
“My wife is the one that ... the mothers are always the one ... they seem to sense it, they...
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We all came together,
Both young and old.
To fight for our freedom,
To stand and be bold.
In the midst of all evil,
We stand our ground,
And we protect our country
From all terror around.
Peace and not war,
Is what some people say.
But I'll give my life
So you can live the American way.
I give you the right
To talk of your peace,
To stand in your group
And protest in our streets.
But still I fight on.
I don't bitch,
I don't whine.
I'm just one of the men
Who is doing your time.
I'm harder than nails,
Stronger than any machine,
I'm the immortal soldier,
I'm a US MARINE!
So stand in my shoes,
And leave from your home.
Fight for the people who hate you,
With the protests they've shown.
Fight for the stranger,
Fight for the young,
So they all may have,
The great freedom you've won.
Fight for the sick,
Fight for the poor.
Fight for the cripple,
Who lives next door.
But when your time comes,
Do what I've done.
For if you stand up for freedom
You'll stand when the fight's done.
Corporal Aaron M. Gilbert
UNITED STATES MARINE USS SAIPAN, PERSIAN GULF