Marine Lance Cpl. Michael L. Freeman Jr.

Died February 1, 2010 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

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21, of Fayetteville, Pa.; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Feb. 1 while supporting combat operations in Shpee Valley, Afghanistan.

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Marine from central Pa. killed in Afghanistan

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — A Marine from central Pennsylvania has been killed in Afghanistan, military authorities said Feb. 2.

Lance Cpl. Michael Freeman Jr., 21, of Fayetteville, Pa., died Feb. 1 during what military authorities called a “hostile incident” while conducting combat operations in Helmand province in the southern part of the country.

Freeman was a machine gunner assigned to 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C., authorities said. The 2008 graduate of Chambersburg Area High School deployed to Afghanistan in October. His awards included a Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon and the Afghanistan Campaign Medal.

His wife, Stephanie, 18, told The Herald Mail of Hagerstown, Md., that the couple married in October and were planning a June 12 ceremony for family and friends.

“He just wanted to come home and be with us,” she told the paper, adding that he was conflicted because he also wanted to serve his country.

Her grandmother, Lenora Short, said Freeman was expected to return from his deployment in April.

“He was a sweetheart,” she said. “He was very polite and mannerly.”

Freeman was an outdoorsman who enjoyed target shooting, fishing and visiting Caledonia State Park, and coming from a military family developed a commitment to the Marines at an early age, his wife said. She said she suspects he would want to be remembered as “a crazy, goofy Marine.”