Twentynine Palms Marine Cpl. Taylor J. Baune, 21, died in Afghanistan on June 13th, according to the Department of Defense.
CNN reports Baune is the 2000th American to die in Operation Enduring Freedom, the official military name for President George W. Bush's so-called "War on Terror," launched in response to the 9/11 attacks.
Braune is survived by his new wife, Colleen Baune. The couple, originally from Anoka, Minnesota, married on March 2, 2012, according to Facebook.
Colleen Baune's father, Randy Crooker, told the Bemidji Pioneer that his daughter and son-in-law eloped in Las Vegas before Cpl. Baune was deployed to Afghanistan. Crooker described his son-in-law as:
A "happy-go-lucky guy" who was always smiling and "always lit up the room when he came in."
Baune was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force at Twentynine Palms.
