February 13, 2005

Sunday, January 30 2005,
PittsburghLive -- One of the Marines killed in the U.S. military's
deadliest crash of the Iraq war spent some of his childhood in
Butler County.
Lance Cpl. Saeed Jafarkhani-Torshizi Jr., 24, who
attended sixth and eighth grades in the Moniteau School District,
was among the 30 Marines killed Wednesday, when
a helicopter crashed in a sandstorm near Ar Rutbah. One sailor also died in
the incident >>> Also see
"I talked to him 10 days ago," said Jafarkhani-Torshizi's grandmother,
Gladys
Travis, of Slippery Rock Borough. "He said it (Iraq) is a bad place, but
they were all doing their job, protecting each other's back and would be happy
to get back home."
Jafarkhani-Torshizi, who spent most of his childhood
in Fort Worth, Texas, served with the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, which
is based at Kaneohe Bay in
Hawaii.
"He was just a typical American young man. He liked music. He liked sports.
He
liked having a good time. He made friends easily," Gladys Travis said.
He
was the only child of Rani Travis, who is staying with her mother in Slippery
Rock. His father, Saeed Jafarkhani-Torshizi Sr., who is in Iran on business,
has dual citizenship in Iran and the United States.
Jafarkhani-Torshizi wanted
to become a police officer. He joined the Marines about 18 months ago because
he felt it would give him a solid foundation for
his career, his grandmother said.
Although Jafarkhani-Torshizi was proud to serve
his country, his grandmother said she doesn't believe young U.S. soldiers should
be fighting and dying in
Iraq.
"I said before they went into Iraq that I thought it was
a terrible mistake. It's just sad all these wonderful young people
are going over there," she said.
A memorial service will be scheduled at Smith Funeral Home in
Slippery Rock. The family is planning a burial in St. Charles Cemetery
near New Bethlehem, Clarion
County.
Sent by Arsalan Hedayat
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