Camp Lejeune Learns of 8 More Missing
By GARY D. ROBERTSON, Associated Press Writer
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - This military community, already mourning the loss of at least 11 Marines killed in Iraq (news - web sites), got more bad news as word arrived that eight others were missing.
The Pentagon (news - web sites) released a list Thursday of eight Marines who haven't been seen since a battle Sunday near the southern Iraq town of An Nasiriyah; seven are stationed at Camp Lejeune and one at nearby Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station.
"It's very scary. It's also sad at the same time," said Lance Cpl. Josh Autry, 20, of Charleston, S.C. "Who knows, they could be my friends."
Among the missing is Pvt. Nolen Ryan Hutchings, 19, of Boiling Springs, S.C. His father, Larry Hutchings, said his son grew up wanting to be a Marine and left for active service in January.
Larry Hutchings on Thursday night told his wife, Carolyn, he didn't doubt that his son will be found safe.
"I put Carolyn to bed and told her they'll look for our son and find him somewhere behind a sand dune," Hutchings told the (Spartanburg) Herald-Journal in Friday's editions.
Another of the missing, Pvt. Jonathan L. Gifford Jr., 20, of Macon, Ill., also had considered military service for several years before signing up, said his father.
"He'd been talking about joining the Marines for 10 years and decided that is what he wanted to do," his father said.
The military vehicle Gifford was assigned to was found but the crew was gone, Jonathan Lee Gifford Sr. told the (Decatur) Herald & Review.
The wife of another missing serviceman, Lance Cpl. Donald J. Cline Jr., 21, of Sparks, Nev., said she was encouraged by the fact that the military had found three of her husband's squadron members alive.
"I never prayed so hard that my muscles turned purple," Tina Cline told KTVN-TV in Reno, Nev.
Tina Cline said she and her two sons, Dakota, 2, and Dylan, 7 months, are living with her mother in Sparks. "Every time I look at my oldest son, I feel it in my heart — I feel it so deeply that he is OK," she said.
Paul Patchem and his wife, Tan, were still rejoicing over the arrival of a letter from their 22-year-old son, Cpl. Kemaphoom A. Chanawongse, when a Marine knocked on their door in Waterford, Conn. They immediately thought the worst.
"Actually, it was kind of relieving to know he's just missing," Paul Patchem said. "I have to think positive. His mother and I know this is not happy news, but it's better than it could be."
Members of Chanawongse's unit called him "Chuckles," or "Chug" for short, his stepfather said. "He's a very funny guy. He makes everybody laugh."
The four other Marines were identified as Lance Cpl. Thomas A. Blair, 24, of Broken Arrow, Okla.; Lance Cpl. Michael J. Williams, 31, of Arizona; Lance Cpl. Patrick R. Nixon, 21, of Gallatin, Tenn.; and Pfc. Tamario D. Burkett, 21, of Buffalo, N.Y.
At least 11 Lejeune-based Marines have been killed in combat or accidents in Iraq and an estimated 25 have been wounded in friendly-fire incidents.
"With everything that is going on the battlefield, anything can happen, especially when it's combat," 2nd Lt. Kevin Claybon, 23, said Thursday night in Jacksonville.
Camp Lejeune, a 246-square mile base, is home to nearly 150,000 active duty, dependent, retiree and civilian employees.
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On the Net:
Camp Lejeune: lejeune.usmc.mil
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