Marine Lance Cpl. Mathew D. Puckett

Died September 13, 2004 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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19, of Mason, Texas; assigned to 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; killed Sept. 13 by enemy action in Anbar province, Iraq.

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Even from thousands of miles away, Mathew D. Puckett retained head-of-the-household status. Whether on the phone or through e-mail, he would make sure his younger brother and sister didn't think they could get into trouble just because he was away. "He still was the main guy of the family," said brother Joshua, 18. "If he told us to do something, even from all the way over there, you know we had better do it." Puckett, 19, of Mason, Texas, died Sept. 13 when his convey was attacked in Iraq’s Anbar province. He was based at Camp Pendleton, Calif. His mother, Sue Wood, said that even while facing the dangers of war, he worried more about whether his mother had enough money and that his siblings were safe. "He was living in hell and all he cared about was to make sure his family was OK," said Wood. Puckett enjoyed paintball fights, playing computer games, and farming, winning a coveted spot on the state-qualifying, four-person dairy cattle judging team. "I have two older brothers and will always have two older brothers," said sister Rhiannon Wood, 15. "One is just in a better place."

— Associated Press