Source:
www.walb.com 5/29/12
From our neighboring Lee County, Georgia
LEE COUNTY, GA
-
Steve Sutton was a
husband, son, brother, marine, and now he is a fallen hero.
http://www.walb.com/story/18638196/lee-co-marine-killed-in?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=7337181
Sutton's wife Toni was
told on Saturday that he was killed in combat while on a patrol
in Afghanistan. The 24 year-old lance corporal was from Leesburg
and had been stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina in
December of 2009.
Sutton graduated from
Lee County High School in 2007, where he played football as an
offensive lineman.
"He was a really goofy
kid, that liked to joke around, have a lot of fun. But on Friday
nights, his demeanor would change, his personality would change.
He was all about competing and playing hard," said Ed Reaves,
the defensive line coach for the Lee County High School football
team.
His coaches say after
high school Sutton played football at a junior college in
California, but decided to take a different path. His former
offensive line coach remembers when Sutton first told him about
going into the military.
"I was in the field
house one day and he showed up and I said, what are you doing?
And he said, well I've decided not to go back. I said, are you
sure that's what you want to do? He said, yeah, he felt like he
had a bigger calling. And he told me he wanted to go into the
Marines," said Rick Carr, the offensive line coach for the Lee
County High School football team.
Now they're worst
nightmare has come true.
"We're with them so
many hours a day that they become like family members to us. And
then when something happens to one of these kids it's like
happening to a family member. It's hard, it's real difficult.
Though I'm very proud of the sacrifice he made, it still hurts
very bad."
Sutton's wife says he's
not just an American hero, he's also her hero.
SSutton's wife is
currently in North Carolina. She says she's going to get his
body Tuesday, then she'll make the trip back to Leesburg. She
went on to say Sutton was an amazing husband and stepfather and
loved life.
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A Marine from Lee
County was killed in Afghanistan.
Family members say they
were told on Saturday that 24 year-old Steven Sutton was killed
in Afghanistan.
He grew up in Lee
County and graduated from Lee County High School in 2007.
Sutton was a Lance
Corporal and was deployed in January.
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WALB. All
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