Marine Lance Cpl. Michael P. Scarborough

Died October 30, 2004 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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28, of Washington, Ga.; assigned to 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Base Hawaii; killed Oct. 30 by enemy action in Anbar province, Iraq.

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Georgia Marine killed in Iraq

Associated Press

WASHINGTON, Ga. — Lance Cpl. Michael Philip Scarborough, who was killed near Fallujah, Iraq, was scheduled to be buried on Veterans Day.

A member of the Marines’ elite Force Recon, Scarborough, 28, was killed Oct. 30 with 11 other Marines by a suicide car bomb in Iraq. Sgt. Kelley L. Courtney of Macon, 28, also lost his life in the attack.

Scarborough was to end his military duty in the spring.

A 1995 graduate of Washington-Wilkes Comprehensive High School, Scarborough attended Athens Technical College and joined the Marine Corps in 2001 at age 25.

Scarborough always dreamed of a military career and traveled the world with his company, said Mike Scarborough. He visited 12 countries last year, his father said.

He had been stationed in the Middle East since before the start of the war, despite an injury that put him out of duty for six weeks. Scarborough had told his parents he planned to leave the military when his commitment ended in spring.

He complained that he was getting too old for reconnaissance duty and told his family not to send packages or mail, since he had to carry all his personal belongings from place to place, his father said.

Scarborough will be buried in the family cemetery near his grandfather, according to Mike Scarborough.

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Marine killed in Iraq lauded as patriot

WASHINGTON, Ga. — Lance Cpl. Michael Philip Scarborough, who was killed near Fallujah, Iraq, was buried on Veterans Day after a memorial service that featured a wall of red, white and blue floral arrangements behind a flag-draped coffin.

A member of the Marine Corps’ elite Force Recon, Scarborough, 28, was killed Oct. 30 with 11 other Marines in a suicide car bombing in Iraq. Sgt. Kelley L. Courtney of Macon, 28, also lost his life in the attack.

On a day Americans honored those who served in the armed services, mourners at a standing-room only crowd at First Baptist Church in Washington lauded Scarborough as a patriot. Late-comers gathered in the vestibule and on the steps outside the church.

After the memorial service and presentation of Scarborough’s Purple Heart, family and friends interred his body next to his grandfather, Scarborough’s namesake and a World War II veteran who also was awarded a Purple Heart.

A 1995 graduate of Washington-Wilkes Comprehensive High School, Scarborough attended Athens Technical College and joined the Marine Corps in 2001 at age 25.

Scarborough always dreamed of a military career and traveled the world with his company, said his father, Mike Scarborough. Lance Cpl. Scarborough visited 12 countries last year, his father said.

He had been stationed in the Middle East since before the start of the war, despite an injury that put him out of duty for six weeks. Scarborough had told his parents he planned to leave the military when his commitment ended in spring.

He complained that he was getting too old for reconnaissance duty and told his family not to send packages or mail, since he had to carry all his personal belongings from place to place, his father said.

— Associated Press