Jonathan A. Taylor
Profile
Age: 22
From: Jacksonville, FL
Assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Incident: Marine Lance Cpl. Jonathan A. Taylor died Dec. 1 in Garmsir district, Afghanistan, while supporting combat operations
Died: December 01, 2009
Joining Marines was his goal from childhood on
The Associated Press
Jonathan Taylor started talking about joining the Marine Corps when he was just 11.
At 13, he wasn’t quite old enough — so he joined the Naval Sea Cadets Corps. He was highly motivated, said Lt. Cmdr. June Tillett, who mentored Taylor in the program.
“I’ve gone through thousands of cadets, and he was in my top five,” she said. “I feel like I’ve lost a son.”
Taylor, 22, of Jacksonville, Fla., was killed Dec. 1 in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to Camp Lejeune, N.C. He graduated from Wolfson High School and attended The Citadel, a military college in South Carolina, before enlisting after a year there.
Taylor loved the Florida Gators and enjoyed politics and history, according to an obituary posted online. He last spoke to his family the day before Thanksgiving to get an update on his favorite team and chat with his three...