Lance Cpl. Richard P. Slocum, USMC
The Department of Defense announced on October 26 the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Lance Cpl. Richard P. Slocum, 19, of Saugus, Calif., died Oct 24 due a non-combat related vehicle accident near Abu Gharib, Iraq. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Base, Hawaii.
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Santa Clarita Daily News -- VALENCIA -- A 19-year-old Marine who was killed in Iraq in a Humvee accident earlier this week -- the first local casualty on military duty there -- was remembered Tuesday as a spirited young man who rose to his potential through military service.
Lance Cpl. Richard Patrick Slocum joined the U.S. Marine Corps. in 2003, right after graduation from Saugus High. A machine gunner in the 3rd Marine Division, he died Sunday near Abu Ghraib in a crash that is under investigation, military officials said.
"He was brave, committed to going into the Marines and to be successful in fighting for his country," his father, Robert Slocum, said Tuesday.
"He was very fun-loving, very spirited," said his mother, Kay Slocum, between sobs. "He had a loving heart. He loved his country, and he loved God."
At Slocum's alma mater Tuesday, some students sought counseling while the Associated Student Body organized a collection -- $1 per student -- for his family, said Marty Fricke, a Saugus High counselor.
"He just saw an opportunity with the military, and he joined," said Fricke, who was Slocum's guidance counselor.
Slocum grew up in Santa Clarita and loved sports. He played in the Santa Clarita Valley Athletic Association's youth football program, his mother said.
"But by the time he was at Saugus (High), he was more interested in girls," she said. "He was charming and very well-liked."
He was a committed to body building. In a yearbook photo, Slocum posed shirtless with his bulging arms folded across his chest. His green eyes peered skyward and he smirked mischievously.
The caption read: "There's no doubt about it ... senior Richard Slocum definitely has no trouble getting the ladies."
Slocum was competitive and also bright, though it didn't always show in his grades, his parents said.
"He wanted to be better than everybody else, but he had a really sensitive heart," his mother said about the young man who was unsure about life after graduation until he enlisted in the Marines. "He felt the Marines would make a man out of him; he would get the discipline he needed."
In the months before graduation and boot camp, he and a friend who was headed into the Army shaved their heads.
"It was for the tough-guy image," Slocum's father said.
His mother didn't like the head-shaving: "He really looked good with hair."
Slocum completed basic training and was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, based in Hawaii .
"It was the proudest day of my life because he was so proud," his mother recalled about the sight of him in uniform. "A huge number of family members were all there to witness it."
He was sent to Iraq about two months ago.
Slocum is survived by his parents; sister, Kimberly; brother, Robert Jr.; and grandparents, Shirley and Robert Slocum and Hilma Kelley.
Services are pending.
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