Marine Cpl. Jeffrey R. Standfest

Died June 16, 2010 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

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23, of St. Clair, Mich.; assigned to 3rd Combat Engineer Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif.; died June 16 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

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Twentynine Palms Marine dies in Helmand

Staff report

A Twentynine Palms, Calif.-based Marine died while supporting combat operations in Afghanistan, the Defense Department announced June 17.

Cpl. Jeffrey R. Standfest, 23, of St. Clair, Mich., died June 16 in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 3rd Combat Engineer Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, based at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center.

No additional details were immediately available.

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Grandfather served in Corps during WWII

The Associated Press

CHINA TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A 23-year-old Marine from St. Clair County described by those who knew him as proud of his service has died while supporting combat operations in Afghanistan, the military said June 17.

Cpl. Jeffrey R. Standfest died June 16 in Helmand province, the Defense Department said in a statement. His family lives in China Township, about 45 miles northeast of Detroit, but the military listed his hometown as the nearby community of St. Clair.

He was a canine handler and a combat engineer. The Marines said an improvised explosive device struck him June 16 while he was on foot patrol.

He was the son of Timothy Standfest, a detective with the police department in Clinton Township, and Karen Standfest, vice president for patient care services and chief nursing officer at Henry Ford Macomb Hospital.

Jeffrey Standfest was an “all American kid” who joined the military because his grandfather served in the Marines during World War II, family friend Doug Mills, a retired Clinton Township detective, told The Macomb Daily of Mount Clemens.

“I watched Jeff grow up into a man and into a Marine hero,” Mills said. “This sounds corny, but I thank God there are people like him in the Marines and Army. What would we in this country do without people like him?”

He was a graduate of St. Clair High School, where he excelled as a runner. Clinton Township police spokesman Detective Capt. Richard Maierle knew Standfest since the Marine was a young child and said he was proud to serve.

“He was an outstanding high school athlete and a respectful person who loved his family and loved being in the Marine Corps,” Maierle said. “He was just an overall great kid.”

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Top-notch runner excelled as member of college team

The Associated Press

Jeffrey Standfest was an “all-American kid” who joined the military because his grandfather served in the Marines during World War II, according to family friend Doug Mills.

Standfest, 23, of St. Clair, Mich., died June 16 when he was hit by an explosive device while on foot patrol in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was a dog handler and combat engineer based in Twentynine Palms, Calif.

He enlisted in 2008, three years after graduating from St. Clair High School, where he ran cross country and track. He also played baseball.

“He was an outstanding high school athlete and a respectful person who loved his family and loved being in the Marine Corps,” said Richard Maierle, who works with Standfest’s father at a Michigan police department. “He was just an overall great kid.”

Standfest ran cross country while attending Oakland University and helped lead the team to a conference championship, his coach said.

He also was dedicated to hitting the books and had carried a high grade-point average in high school, fellow students said. In his down time, he enjoyed rabbit hunting and fishing, as well as baseball and hockey.

Survivors include his parents, Timothy and Karen.