Marine Cpl. In C. Kim

Died December 7, 2004 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

---

23, of Warren, Mich.; assigned to 9th Communications Battalion, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; killed Dec. 7 in a non-hostile vehicle incident in Anbar province, Iraq.

* * * * *

Marine from Warren killed in Iraq

Associated Press

Everyone describes In C. Kim as a shy young man who tried hard to fit in.

“He was quiet and daydreaming,” said his uncle, Christopher Kim. “Once I saw a picture he drew. It was a boy lying down on the grass and looking at the sky and daydreaming.”

Kim, 23, of the Detroit suburb of Warren, Mich., died Dec. 7 in a vehicle accident in Iraq’s Anbar province. He was assigned to Camp Pendleton.

After growing up in Seoul, South Korea, Kim moved to Michigan with his family five years ago. His parents named him In Chul because “In” means “merciful” in Korean and “Chul” means “pride.”

One day, military recruiters piqued his interest with talk of benefits and travel. He took a test and scored especially high in mathematics. He was a Marine by August 2001, a few months after graduating high school.

Kim spent six months in Iraq last year. Two months ago, he returned for another six-month stint. He was awarded the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon and the National Defense Service Medal.

Kim’s father, Chang Kim, said one of the attractions of military service was its ability to help him learn more about American culture and help with his English.

“First of all, he wanted to learn English, then he wanted to learn about America,” his father said. “He wanted to serve his country.”

In C. Kim also is survived by his mother, Kyoung Kim, and an older sister, Sun Kim.