Marine Lance Cpl. Joshua E. Witsman

Died May 30, 2012 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

---

23, of Covington, Ind.; assigned to 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died May 30 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, while supporting combat operations.

---

Vigil honors Indiana Marine killed in Afghanistan

The Associated Press

COVINGTON, Ind. — More than 1,000 people gathered in the western Indiana hometown of a Marine killed in Afghanistan to remember him as a fallen hero.

The crowd honoring 23-year-old Lance Cpl. Joshua Witsman overflowed a block along the Fountain County Courthouse square in Covington Sunday evening. Most held lit candles for the vigil that began with music followed by a Boy Scout troop presenting the U.S. flag and colors.

Lacey Weatherly tells the Journal & Courier that Witsman's death gives her more appreciation of her father's time in Iraq with the Indiana National Guard.

Patty Gritten tells WLFI-TV that she's glad to see the small community pulling together after Witsman's death.

Witsman's body arrived Saturday at Dover Air Force Base, but the military hasn't yet released information about how he died.