Marine Lance Cpl. Eric W. Herzberg, 20, of Severna Park, Md.; assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Oct. 21 while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq.
HE WAS A DEEPLY SPIRITUAL MAN, A PATRIOT
When Lance Cpl. Eric W. Herzberg decided to join the Marines while a student at Severna Park High School, his first mission was to ease the concerns of his mother, Gina Barnhurst.
"Gina was anxious to talk him out of it," said Doug Barnhurst, Herzberg's uncle. "She was worried about it. She was worried that he didn't know what he was getting into. But he convinced her it was a calling."
Yesterday, three days after the 20-year-old infantryman died while conducting combat operations in Iraq's Anbar province, it was his mother who conveyed the meaning behind that calling.
"We are deeply saddened by the loss of our wonderful Eric, yet we are so incredibly proud of him. He was proud to be a Marine and to serve his country, which he loved dearly. He was a happy, quiet young man with a deep compassion for others and a deep faith in God. . . . "
The words were written on a piece of yellow paper held by Herzberg's uncle, the color of the ribbon hung outside the family's Severna Park home during his tour.
On his mother's car was a more succinct message in the form of two bumper stickers: "My Son Is A US Marine," and "My Son Defends Our Freedom."
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