The Department of Defense has announced that a Camp Pendleton Marine, Lance Cpl. Nicholas O'Brien, was killed in Afghanistan last week in Helmand province while on foot patrol. O'Brien had turned 21 just two weeks ago, according to the Charlotte Observer. He was an infantryman in Camp Pendleton's 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment of the 1st Marine Division.
As with any young servicemember killed in action, there was so much more to Nicolas O'Brien than the DoD announcement of this death, or the official Marine photo of him looking stoic in his dress uniform. O'Brien was such a talented baseball player in high school that he was offered a scholarship to attend college. But his father, Richard O'Brien, told the Charlotte Observer that his son's dream was to join the Marines:
Charlotte television station WCNC has this touching report on Nicholas O'Brien, and the family he leaves behind:
