Downey mayor issues statement on fallen Marine

Previous Entry | Next Entry
By John Canalis on June 10, 2009 6:43 PM | | Comments (1) |

Downey Mayor Mario Guerra issued a statement today on Marine Lance Cpl. Joshua R. Whittle, who was killed Saturday in Afghanistan. Whittle was 20. 

The details of his death in the Helmand province were not available, according to the Associated Press. Whittle was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Regiment, 3rd Division III in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.

Here's Guerra's statement:

Last Saturday in Helmand province, Afghanistan, 20 year old Lance Cpl. Joshua R. Whittle fromDowney, was killed. Joshua was a 2007 graduate of Warren High School in Downey and was assigned to the 2nd Battalion,, 3rd Marine Regiment.

 

Our city is saddened by the passing of one of our own hometown heroes. Heroes give of themselves and Joshua contributed the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of his country. We are extremely proud inDowney of this young man but suffer from broken hearts and ache for his family and friends.....As a parent I shed tears with his parents, as an American I salute his bravery and say thank you. As Mayor I say God Bless you....

 

On behalf of the citizens of Downey, I want the Whittle family to know that our prayers, thoughts and hearts are with them during this time...We know Joshua loved this community and we want them to know that our community loves him and will never forget.

 

Our city will fly our flags at half mast and we will be honoring his return home....God Bless.

 

 

1 Comments

Isaac J. Oshana said:

Having served in the Marine Corps for ten years I witnessed a great many of my comrades die for their country near Heartbreak Ridge in Korea in 1952. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family of this young hero and I hope that they find the peace which all of us look for with the loss of a loved one. God bless all of you.

June 10, 2009 7:15 PM

About the Blogger

John Canalis writes the weekly Canalis Report on local issues and personalities. He is also responsible for special projects and political coverage.

E-mail John at john.canalis@presstelegram.com.

About this Entry

This page contains a single entry by John Canalis published on June 10, 2009 6:43 PM.

Schwarzenegger wants to replace textbooks with digital versions was the previous entry in this blog.

Remains of Downey Marine to arrive Friday at Los Alamitos is the next entry in this blog.

Find recent content on the main index or look in the archives to find all content.

Powered by Movable Type 4.25