On the U.S. Marine Corps' 229th birthday, a solemn crowd gathered Wednesday to honor three Marines from a Madison-based unit who were killed Monday in Iraq.
Lance Cpl. Shane K. O'Donnell, 24, of DeForest, Wis.; Cpl. Robert P. Warns, 23, of Waukesha, Wis.; and Lance Cpl. Branden Ramey, 22, of Belvidere, Ill. were killed after being hit by a \buried improvised explosive device"" while on patrol near Lutafiyah, Iraq.
""It's a lonely battle. It's also very dangerous as we've been reminded in the recent days,"" Marine Chaplain Stephen Huff said.
As Wisconsin Marines were laid to rest, Lt. Governor Barbara Lawton accompanied nearly 680 Wisconsin guard troops to Camp Shelby, Mississippi where they will prepare for deployment within the next few weeks.
Wisconsin troops joined nearly 4,000 National Guard soldiers, governors from across the country and top military officials in a giant and ""amazingly moving"" send-off ceremony Wednesday, Lt. Col. Tim Donovan said.
The 680 soldiers-primarily from northern Wisconsin-have been on active duty for four months and will soon depart for Iraq where they will serve one year.
""These troops are trained, ready, well-led, well-equipped; they're ready to go,"" Donovan said.
-Kristen Titus
The Wisconsin State Journal contributed to this report.
