Lance Corporal Dies On Active Duty

[Neo]

Lance Cpl. Steven West Age 20, of Wilmington, formerly of Billerica, dies while on active duty in Bangkok on July 2, 2008.

 

 

more

 

[The_Munchmaster]

I didn't realise US troops were on active duty in Thailand.

 

P.S. If a story is worth reading then why not copy and paste the whole article into the OP instead of a few words and a link or in some members posts, no words and only a link. Personally I find links annoying and generally don't bother to open them, whereas I'm more inclined to read the article if it's posted.

[drogon]

AIDS? condo fall "suicide"? training accident?

 

"Full-time duty in the active military service of the United States. This includes members of the Reserve Components serving on active duty or full-time training duty, but does not include full-time National Guard duty. Also called AD."

 

He was a member of the US forces but I do not see why is it worth mentioning that he was a military.

 

Another farang dead I guess.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[..]

At the very least there is the Marine Security Guard Detachment at the embassy...

 

Cheers,

SD

[Bangkoktraveler]

This 20 year old marine played in a band.

[Julian2]

Might have been on a training exercise. There's a big base up at Udon Thani where they have regular war game stuff.

[Neo]

P.S. If a story is worth reading then why not copy and paste the whole article

 

I considered that, but in this case the article has less information than I posted. It didn't specify what city he died in or on what day it happened. There seems to be very little information released on this as of yet.

 

I do not see why is it worth mentioning that he was a military

 

Because he died on active duty. Besides, many here are or were in.

 

[drogon]

I had (and still have) a lot of respect for my fellow military colleagues but what happened to him?

 

Training accident?

[Flashermac]

Young American Marine Dies In Thailand, Family not told how he died; Body not returned yet

 

 

 

WILMINGTON, Mass. -- A local Marine died while on tour in Thailand Saturday.

 

The Lowell Sun reported that U.S. Marine Lance Corporal Steven M. West, 20, of Wilmington, did not die in combat, though his family members have not been told exactly how he died.

 

Westâ??s body has not been returned home.

 

Westâ??s father told the newspaper Steven West had been stationed in Okinawa, Japan, for the past eight to 10 months and was on tour in Thailand.

 

- WCVB Television News (Boston, Massachusetts, USA) / 06-07-08

 

 

 

 

Marine dies in Thailand;

Few details about how Wilmington man perished

 

 

WILMINGTON -- A local Marine has died while on tour in Thailand, and his family and friends were waiting to hear more about the circumstances surrounding his death last night.

 

U.S. Marine Lance Corporal Steven M. West, 20, of Wilmington, died while on active duty. His father, David West of Nashua, said he did not know the cause of his death, but that he did not die in action.

 

Selectman Louis Cimaglia, who serves as the veterans agent, said West's body has not returned and did not know the details surrounding his death.

 

David West said his son has been stationed in Okinawa, Japan, for the past eight to 10 months and was in Thailand on tour. He described Steven West as a talented musician who played jazz. He was an intelligent, friendly man who always had a smile on his face, David West said.

 

West played bass in the III Marine Expeditionary Force Band in Okinawa, according to the band's Web page on MySpace.com.

 

The 50-member band performs more than 300 concerts annually while undergoing intense annual training in Korea and providing security for the III MEF Command Elementary during deployments, according to the Web page. They also practice martial arts and rifle marksmanship on a regular basis.

 

The band comprises five ensembles, ranging from a concert band to a jazz combo. On April 18, JapanUpdate.com, a weekly online news site covering Okinawa, reported that West was set to play the bass guitar in the band's jazz combo at a concert in Koza, Okinawa, on the following night.

 

The band is one of a dozen fleet musical units in the U.S. Marine Corps, and is located on Camp Foster in Okinawa.

 

West, who also lived in Billerica, was the son of Jacqueline S. (O'Hara) and her husband Dennis Rooney of Wilmington, formerly of Billerica, and of David G. West and his wife, Rose West of Nashua, N.H., formerly of Tewksbury.

 

The wake for West will be held on Wednesday, from 4 to 8 p.m., at Nichols Funeral Home at 187 Middlesex Ave., in Wilmington, followed by the funeral on Thursday at 11 a.m. at St. Thomas Church in Woburn.

 

- Lowell Sun (Lowell, Massachusetts, USA) 06-07-08

 

 

 

 

 

[Torneyboy]

West played bass in the III Marine Expeditionary Force Band in Okinawa, according to the band's Web page on MySpace.com.

 

The 50-member band performs more than 300 concerts annually while undergoing intense annual training in Korea and providing security for the III MEF Command Elementary during deployments, according to the Web page. They also practice martial arts and rifle marksmanship on a regular basis.

 

Wonder why they don't say what happened..