Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Maryland's Sixty-Ninth Hero


marlonbharper
Originally uploaded by Randuwa
Army Staff Sgt. Marlon B. Harper, 34, of Baltimore; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died April 21 in Baghdad of wounds sustained when he came in contact with enemy forces using a rocket-propelled grenade and small-arms fire during combat operations.

HE WAS A GREAT, GREAT PERSON

Harper’s military awards include the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart.

Harper was the father of three, his wife, Stacy, told The Washington Post on April 23. Harper was originally scheduled to return home in October, but then his tour was extended until January 2008, she said.

“He was a great, great person,” Stacy Harper said. “He died doing what he loved.” She and the couple’s children — son Dominic, 12, and twin daughters Jessica and Jennifer, 10 — live in Florida near her parents while Harper was in Iraq. He kept in touch with letters, e-mails and, when possible, telephone calls.

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