Marine Pfc. Jake W. Suter

Died May 29, 2010 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

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18, of Los Angeles; assigned to 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii; died May 29 at Patrol Base Jangeali, Afghanistan, while supporting combat operations in Helmand province.

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Turned down Ivy League acceptance to join Corps

The Associated Press

Jake Suter’s father says the 18-year-old may have been an average student at his Southern California high school, but he had a way with words.

“He could write essays and compositions and was an avid reader,” Suter’s father, Chris Unthank, told the Signal newspaper.

A 15-page essay Suter wrote so impressed officials at Brown University that he was accepted into the top school, his father said.

But Suter, a history buff who long had his sights set on joining the military, became a Marine, and he was excited about serving in Afghanistan.

“He loved the language and the culture, and was very excited to go over and help,” his father said. “He knew he was going into a war zone but also felt like he was on a mission of peace — not to just go in there as military but also to help the Afghan people do what they needed to do.”

Suter, of Los Angeles, died May 29 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province. His death came less than two weeks after he left Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, where he was based, his father said.

“Anyone who did get a chance to know him, they were privileged to do so,” Unthank said.

He is survived by his father and mother, Michelle Suter Unthank.