Army Pfc. Adam L. Marion

Died April 28, 2008 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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26, of Mount Airy, N.C.; assigned to the 171st Engineer Company, North Carolina Army National Guard, Saint Pauls, N.C.; died April 28 in Baghdad of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his forward operating base with indirect fire. Also killed were Sgt. Marcus C. Mathes and Sgt. Mark A. Stone.

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Army Pfc. Adam L. Marion remembered

The Associated Press

Adam L. Marion loved kids, and at one point, he worked with children involved with parks and recreation programs and at a home for abused children.

Family members say that he carried his passion for helping children with him to Iraq, where he spent as much time as possible with Iraqi kids.

“He was really funny, joking and always smiling,” said Ivy Jean Atkins, a cousin. “He loved kids and had a loving heart.”

Marion, 26, of Mount Airy, N.C., was killed April 28 during an attack on a base near Baghdad. He was a 2000 high school graduate and was assigned to Saint Pauls, N.C.

“He loved to have fun,” said Kathy Robertson, a friend. “Just being around him would make you laugh, and he loved to cut up and pick. He was just fun to be around.”

He had the words “Freedom Isn’t Free” tattooed on his biceps.

He is survived by his parents, Pam and Donnie.

“His family is a very loving, very giving family, and they taught him. They instilled in him the importance of taking care of your community and your country,” Robertson said. “I think that’s part of the reason he joined the military.”