Marine Sgt. Douglas E. Bascom

Died October 20, 2004 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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25, of Colorado Springs, Colo.; assigned to 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; killed Oct. 20 by enemy action in Anbar province, Iraq. Bascom was a mobilized member of the Individual Ready Reserves.

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Sergeant always took care of his Marines first

Associated Press

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Douglas E. Bascom’s wife doesn’t know the details of how the Marine sergeant died in Iraq, but she’s certain he was out in front of the leathernecks he was leading.

“He was always a squad leader and he took care of his men, and I always knew he would do anything for them, even if it meant dying. He always made sure everyone else was OK before himself,” said Jolene Bascom.

Douglas Bascom was killed Wednesday when a makeshift bomb exploded near him in Iraq’s Anbar province, the military said.

He enlisted in the Marine Corps four years ago, completed his hitch and then re-enlisted to volunteer for Iraq, Jolene Bascom said.

“There’s no way to explain what it feels like to have someone you love go into a dangerous area. When you know their heart is in it you can’t hold them back,” said Jolene Bascom.

Douglas Bascom was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force based at Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Bascom’s family had moved to Colorado Springs in 1998 from England, where his father had been stationed in the Air Force.