A boy who went to my church was just killed in Afghanistan...

[catlover79]

http://www.fox8.com/news/wjw-painesv...,7458811.story

PAINESVILLE -- Lance Corporal David Baker was set to return home from Afghanistan in a matter of weeks, but Tuesday the 22-year-old Marine from Painesville was killed by an improvised explosive device while he was on foot patrol.

David's father Mark Baker says he and his ex-wife were notified Tuesday about the accident.

"It's such a terrible thing over there you don't want to live the rest of your life knowing your child died for nothing, and that's how I feel right now," Baker said.

Baker says his son joined the military after graduating from Riverside High School in 2006. He says David was planning to go back to school when he was finished with his tour of duty. He was set to come home in November.

"He had no rough edges, everybody loved David. He had a very quiet demeanor very much in the background kind of shy. He went from being a shy insecure homesick kid to I mean, my son's a hero." Mark Baker said.

Baker turned 22 on October 1st. His father says around that time David got ahold of a satellite phone, and he called everyone in his family. It was one of the last times he spoke to his father.

"He called his grandparents, his mom, me, his brother, his sister some of his friends and David had never done that before and it was almost in retrospect now it looks like a farewell call," Baker said.

The principal at Riverside High School was a coach and teacher when David was a freshman there. Bill Wade says David was a smart and happy student and his death is tragic.

"What I remember most about David is his personality, he was just a genuine kid who brought a lot to the team with his personality and effort he always brought 110%," Wade said. School administrators were notified of David's death Wednesday, and they plan to find some way to remember him.

David's body will be returned to the United States on Thursday. Funeral arrangements are pending.

[Chocoholic]

Rest in peace and God bless My prayers go out to his family.

[LuLu Rogers]

Reading this... Deja Vu... made my heart sink

[catlover79]

I will always remember David and his brother Mark as the little boys who sat behind my family in church. They were good kids, always running around, having fun and just as cute as can be. His dad and grandparents also went to our church. God bless them all.

David - thank you for your sacrifice and bravery. You are now safe at Home.

[LuLu Rogers]

[catlover79]

What makes this even sadder - the circumstances of David's death:

SAN DIEGO- The Pentagon released the name today of a 22-year-old Camp Pendleton-based Marine killed by an improvised explosive device this week in Afghanistan.

Lance Cpl. David R. Baker of Painesville, Ohio, died while on a security patrol in Helmand Province on Tuesday, according to the Department of Defense.
Baker, who enlisted in August 2006, was a mortarman with Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force.

His personal awards include a National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.

http://www.myvalleynews.com/story/41526/

[catlover79]

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009...ake_count.html

A young Marine from Lake County makes ultimate sacrifice
By Robert L. Smith, The Plain Dealer
October 21, 2009, 5:24PM

PAINESVILLE, Ohio — As the nation's leaders debated the war in Afghanistan, David Baker was fighting it.

The young Marine from Lake County shouldered six weeks of combat in war-torn Helmand Province, a Taliban stronghold.

Anxious to get out, he remained a committed soldier. On Tuesday, he made the ultimate sacrifice.

Baker, a 2006 graduate of Riverside High School in Painesville Township, was on foot patrol when a hidden bomb exploded close enough to kill him. Anguished loved ones say they would not be surprised if he was leading that patrol, as was his custom.

"They just grow up before your eyes and then, and then they're gone," said a grieving father, Mark Baker. "He was a Marine. He had a job to do and he did it. He was a great kid."

David Raymond Baker grew up dreaming of joining the military and followed his older brother into the U.S. Marine Corps. He settled into a service that soon lost its luster. Toward the end of his tour, he was anxious to finish and to get out alive, his family said.

He almost made it. The lance corporal, who turned 22 on October 1, was due to complete combat duty Nov. 29. He was to be home before Christmas.

"He was on the last lap," Mark Baker said. "As far as my family is concerned, he is a hero."

A war that unnerves the U.S. government had also spooked the friendly, country-music loving young man from Painesville Township. Upon learning that his second tour overseas would take him to Afghanistan, Baker shared with his father a premonition that he would not be coming back.

"It was just something in his gut," Mark Baker said. "He said, 'I just have a bad feeling about this.'"

Still, he served with determination, as his older brother Mark expected.

"I knew if he got the responsibility, he would do it and do it well," said Mark Baker Jr., 23, who recently finished a tour in the Marines.

David Baker enlisted nearly three years ago, soon after finishing high school. He landed in Afghanistan on Memorial Day and by September was in the thick of the long-running war. He was a "mortar man" in the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, his brother said.

He got a hold of a satellite phone in late September. With a flurry of calls home to family and friends, he relayed his experiences and even said some good-byes.

He said his unit was patrolling Helmand, a largely lawless, opium-growing province bordering Pakistan.

"He was fighting. He was fighting every day," his father said. "He was the guy who always volunteered to be point," to lead a patrol of a dozen or so soldiers.

There were close calls. Friends and mates were wounded in a truck bombing. Once, one of the Afghani nationals following his lead accidentally discharged his gun and nearly shot him.

His parents urged him to be safe. They questioned why he was leading patrols.

"He told me, 'Dad, that's my job. I can control the pace. I can be more careful for everybody.'"

On Tuesday, Marine Corps officers arrived at the home of Mark Baker and at the home of his ex-wife and David's mother, Laurie Lewkowski. The parents learned that their son was on foot patrol when someone detonated an IED, an improvised explosive device, killing him.

In addition to his parents and his brother, David Baker is survived by 19-year-old twin sisters -- Taylor, a student at Lakeland Community College, and Lauren, a member of the U.S. Army Reserve.

On Wednesday, family members were making plans to fly to Delaware to meet the casket at Dover Air Base today. David Baker is to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, his family said. Local memorial services are being planned.

[catlover79]

[*Pleasant Tomorrow*]

So sad. It hits harder the older I get because these kids are around my age. RIP.

[catlover79]

Originally Posted by *Pleasant Tomorrow*

So sad. It hits harder the older I get because these kids are around my age. RIP.

I know. I still think of him as a little boy - I probably always will.

[Nighthawk76]

I'm sorry to hear this, Monika. May your friend Rest in Peace.

[catlover79]

Originally Posted by Shine

I'm sorry to hear this, Monika. May your friend Rest in Peace.

Thank you. David's dad Mark was interviewed on the news and was just crying his heart out. It was just heartbreaking.

[beautifuldreamer]

So sorry, Monika... what tragic news. My heart goes out to the family.

David

[HuntingtonM15]

That's horrible news. Very sorry to hear of it.

[Schmoopie]

So sorry to hear about this Monika, but he was brave and he died for his country.