Lance Cpl. Jared C. Verbeek, a 22-year-old Camp Pendleton Marine who grew up in the Central Valley town of Visalia, was killed yesterday in Afghanistan, according to the Department of Defense. The DoD reports Verbeek died after being wounded in combat. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division.
Based on the information I've been able to gather so far, Verbeek attended Mt. Whitney High School in Visalia, and was a standout track athlete there, earning records in the 200, 400, and meter races, as well as the long jump.
Verbeek had set his Facebook and MySpace pages so only his friends could obtain information about him. However, he did post this now heartbreaking picture to the right...
