Marine Lance Cpl. Justin D. Sims

Died April 15, 2006 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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22, of Covington, Ky.; 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; killed April 15 when his Humvee struck an improvised explosive device during combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq. Also killed were: Lance Cpl. Derrick J. Cothran, Cpl. Pablo V. Mayorga and Pfc. Ryan G. Winslow.

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Kentucky Marine among four killed in Iraq

COVINGTON, Ky. — A Marine from northern Kentucky died in fighting over the weekend in Iraq, the Department of Defense said Monday.

Lance Cpl. Justin Sims, 22, of Covington died Saturday when the Humvee he was riding in struck a roadside bomb during combat operations in Anbar Province, the Department of Defense said.

He was among four Marines who died, the department said. Lance Cpl. Derrick J. Cothran, 21, of Avondale, La.; Cpl. Pablo V. Mayorga, 33, of Margate, Fla.; and Pfc. Ryan G. Winslow, 19, of Jefferson, Ala., also were killed in the explosion.

Sims had lived with his mother, Alma Jones, in Covington, and attended Holmes High School, where he graduated in 2003, said his father, Beechie Sims.

“He loved the Marines and what they stood for,” Beechie Sims told the Cincinnati Enquirer. He joined the Marines after graduation, his father said. Justin Sims married in December 2004, just before heading to Iraq for his first tour of duty.

He returned to Iraq a month or so ago, the last time Beechie Sims heard from his son.

“He called me from Kuwait when he first got over there,” Beechie Sims said. “He just told me he was getting ready to be deployed to Ramadi and that’s where he got killed.”

Mike Wills, a former assistant principal at Holmes, said he saw Sims in December, when he stopped for a visit while on leave.

“I told him he was being put in my prayers and to keep his head down, that I’d be worried about him,” said Wills, a retired Marine lieutenant colonel who fought in Vietnam and Liberia.

“He was one of those young men who really felt he wanted to choose a career in the military. To a certain extent, Justin followed the lead of those he saw before him.”

Justin Sims is survived by his wife, Leah, and six half-sisters, Beechie Sims said.

He said he expects his son’s remains to be flown home in three or four days.

Sims was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

— Associated Press / Information from: The Cincinnati Enquirer

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Four N.C.-based Marines killed in Iraq

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — Five North Carolina-based Marines were killed over the weekend in Iraq’s Anbar province, including an Alabama man who was one of four who died when a roadside bomb hit their vehicle during a combat patrol.

The Department of Defense said the four were killed Saturday when their Humvee was targeted.

They were identified as Lance Cpl. Derrick J. Cothran, 21, of Avondale, La.; Cpl. Pablo V. Mayorga, 33, of Margate, Fla. and Pfc. Ryan G. Winslow, 19, of Hoover, Ala., all assigned to the 2nd Tank Battalion, 2nd Marine Division. Also killed was Lance Cpl. Justin D. Sims, 22, of Covington, Ky., who was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division.

A day earlier, Lance Cpl. Darin T. Settle, 23, of Henley, Mo., was killed in a non-hostile motor accident. He was assigned to Combat Logistics Regiment 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group at Camp Lejeune.

Sims’ father said he married in December 2004 just before leaving on his first tour in Iraq.

“He loved the Marines and what they stood for,” Beechie Sims told the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Justin Sims is survived by his wife, Leah, and six half-sisters, his father said.

— Associated Press