Post by admin4laney on Aug 5, 2005 9:19:31 GMT -5
'Last Of The John Waynes, But Tougher'
Fallen Marine's Bravery, Commitment Never Wavered, Dad Says
POSTED: 7:06 pm EDT August 4, 2005
UPDATED: 7:09 am EDT August 5, 2005
CINCINNATI -- Before Tim Bell Jr. went to Iraq, he gave his dad something precious for safekeeping, News 5's Courtis Fuller reported.
"We dropped him off and he gave me his Marine Corps ring. He said, 'Wear this till I come home.' I've worn it every day and I'll wear it every day from now on," Tim Bell Sr. said.
Tim Jr., 22, was one of five local Marines to give his life for his country in Iraq Wednesday. He and 13 other Marines were killed by a roadside bomb.
The Bell family has a baseball pedigree. Young Tim's uncle, Buddy Bell, and his grandfather, Gus Bell, were stars for the Reds. His cousins, David and Michael Bell, were major leaguers. But at the age of 6, when many young boys dream of being a professional athlete, Tim Jr. saw two of uncles in uniform and decided he wanted to be in the military, his father said.
When his parents took him to Columbus in January to deploy for training with Lima Company, Bell had a message for them, his stepmother said.
"He just said, 'This is what I was born to do,"' Vivian Bell said.
Tim Sr. said he talked to his son in Iraq every week and he never expressed fear and never questioned his purpose as a Marine.
"My son was the last of the John Waynes, but tougher," Tim Sr. said.
Tim Jr., a Lakota East High School graduate, was a black belt in judo and was hoping to buy a motorcycle when he returned home in September, his father said.
Tim Jr. was very protective of his younger brother and two younger sisters and applied that same ethic in Iraq, his father said.
"He was there for a reason. Everybody needs to know that. And it's not just my son, it's all the young men and women over there. They're over there for each and every one of us," Tim Sr. said.
Tim Sr. said he never been as sad as he has been the past 24 hours, but he has never been as proud.
"I'm able to say my son was a true American hero, and I'm always going to be able to say that. He died for all of us. That's the thing that's going to get us through all this," Tim Sr. said.
The elder Bell said he is waiting to hear from the military before making funeral arrangements.
www.channelcincinnati.com/news/4811682/detail.html
Fallen Marine's Bravery, Commitment Never Wavered, Dad Says
POSTED: 7:06 pm EDT August 4, 2005
UPDATED: 7:09 am EDT August 5, 2005
CINCINNATI -- Before Tim Bell Jr. went to Iraq, he gave his dad something precious for safekeeping, News 5's Courtis Fuller reported.
"We dropped him off and he gave me his Marine Corps ring. He said, 'Wear this till I come home.' I've worn it every day and I'll wear it every day from now on," Tim Bell Sr. said.
Tim Jr., 22, was one of five local Marines to give his life for his country in Iraq Wednesday. He and 13 other Marines were killed by a roadside bomb.
The Bell family has a baseball pedigree. Young Tim's uncle, Buddy Bell, and his grandfather, Gus Bell, were stars for the Reds. His cousins, David and Michael Bell, were major leaguers. But at the age of 6, when many young boys dream of being a professional athlete, Tim Jr. saw two of uncles in uniform and decided he wanted to be in the military, his father said.
When his parents took him to Columbus in January to deploy for training with Lima Company, Bell had a message for them, his stepmother said.
"He just said, 'This is what I was born to do,"' Vivian Bell said.
Tim Sr. said he talked to his son in Iraq every week and he never expressed fear and never questioned his purpose as a Marine.
"My son was the last of the John Waynes, but tougher," Tim Sr. said.
Tim Jr., a Lakota East High School graduate, was a black belt in judo and was hoping to buy a motorcycle when he returned home in September, his father said.
Tim Jr. was very protective of his younger brother and two younger sisters and applied that same ethic in Iraq, his father said.
"He was there for a reason. Everybody needs to know that. And it's not just my son, it's all the young men and women over there. They're over there for each and every one of us," Tim Sr. said.
Tim Sr. said he never been as sad as he has been the past 24 hours, but he has never been as proud.
"I'm able to say my son was a true American hero, and I'm always going to be able to say that. He died for all of us. That's the thing that's going to get us through all this," Tim Sr. said.
The elder Bell said he is waiting to hear from the military before making funeral arrangements.
www.channelcincinnati.com/news/4811682/detail.html
