Marine Lance Cpl. James A. Casper

Died March 25, 2004 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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20, of Coolidge, Texas; assigned to 2nd Battalion, 11th Marines, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died March 25 as a result of a non-combat related incident at al Asad, Iraq.

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‘He was fighting for the poor people in Iraq’

The Associated Press

James Casper started working at age 5, raking leaves and picking up garbage to earn money for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle toys. Later, he baled hay, built fences, mowed yards, washed cars and worked at Wal-Mart so he could buy a car, a customized truck and a piece of property.

So when Casper saw the poor of Iraq begging for food, he was deeply disturbed.

"Those people over there, they are just stuck," said his mother, Darlene Mitchell. "That is what he was fighting for, the poor people in Iraq."

Casper, 20, of Coolidge, Texas, died March 25 in a non-combat incident in Asad during his second tour in Iraq. He was stationed at Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Casper enlisted in the Marines as a way to pay for college. After spending six months in Iraq last year, he stayed another month to help pack up so other Marines could return home to their wives and kids, his mother said.