Marine Pfc. Serge Kropov

Died December 20, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

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21, of Hawley, Pa.; assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif.; died Dec. 20 as a result of a non-hostile incident in Camp Bastion, Afghanistan.

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‘He had a million friends’

The Associated Press

Serge Kropov’s friends said the Marine helicopter mechanic was a good-hearted, fun-loving guy who enjoyed basketball and trick bike riding.

“He was just a very kind, giving, friendly, loving person,” said Lindamay Rodnite, who said her sons attended school with Kropov. “He had a million friends.”

Indeed, a Facebook page dedicated to Kropov was filled with dozens of tributes to the fallen Marine.

Kropov, 21, of Hawley, Pa., died Dec. 20 in a non-hostile incident in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif. He attended Wallenpaupack Area High School in Hemlock Farms, Pa. His obituary said he planned to be a career military man.

Kropov was a native of Moscow who later moved to the U.S. with his parents, Igor and Allison Alevtina. He is also survived by a sister, Anna.

Rodnite’s son Jonathan remembered seeing Kropov riding his mountain bike around the neighborhood because he didn’t have a car.

“He was a good friend from day one,” Jonathan Rodnite said. “Very outgoing, very social.”

The Marine wrote on a Web site profile that he also loved snowboarding, working out and the beach, and that he was “always looking and willing to learn and expand my experiences.”