Marine Cpl. Xhacob Latorre

Died December 8, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

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21, of Waterbury, Conn.; assigned to 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Dec. 8 of wounds sustained while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

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2/8 Marine dies from combat wounds

Staff report

A North Carolina-based Marine injured in Afghanistan in August died Tuesday, according to the Defense Department.

Cpl. Xhacob Latorre, 21, of Waterbury, Conn., died of wounds he suffered Aug. 10 during combat operations in Helmand province. He lost both legs when he was struck by an improvised explosive device, according to the Warrior’s Wish Foundation Web site. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Latorre, a mortar man, joined the Corps in June 2005, according to II Marine Expeditionary Force release. He served two tours in Iraq, one in July 2006 and another in late 2007.

He is survived by his wife and son.

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Marine to be laid to rest

The Associated Press

WATERBURY, Conn. — A funeral service is being held for a Connecticut Marine who died Dec. 8 from wounds he suffered four months earlier during combat operations in Afghanistan.

The funeral for Cpl. Xhacob Latorre is set for Dec. 17 in his hometown of Waterbury. He will be buried at the State Veterans Cemetery in Middletown.

Latorre, 21, died at a Texas hospital from wounds he suffered in August when an improvised explosive device detonated. He left behind his wife and an 18-month-old son.

He was a mortar man assigned to the II Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Camp Lejeune, N.C. He joined the Marines in 2005 shortly after graduating from Crosby High School in Waterbury.

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Awarded Purple Heart before death

The Associated Press

Xhacob LaTorre enjoyed making people happy.

“You could be sad. You could be crying, but he would look for the way to make you laugh,” said his mother, Nicole LaSalle.

The 21-year-old Marine corporal even joked around some in his hospital room after being severely wounded during combat in Helmand province, Afghanistan, last August.

LaTorre, who was assigned to Camp Lejeune, N.C., succumbed to his injuries Dec. 8. It was just four days before his 22nd birthday and one day after being awarded the Purple Heart.

The Waterbury, Conn., native joined the Marines three days after graduating from Crosby High School in 2005. He was deployed twice to Iraq before being sent to Afghanistan, where he sustained wounds so severe his legs had to be amputated.

LaTorre was married to his high school sweetheart, Frances LaTorre. They have a son, 1½-year-old Javier, whom family members say has a strong resemblance to his father.

“To me, it’s like he never left,” said LaTorre’s brother, Danny LaTorre, also a Marine corporal. “Seeing his son is seeing him grow up all over again.”