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  • Marine made 'the ultimate sacrifice'

    Marine made 'the ultimate sacrifice'
    By Lisa Roose-Church, DAILY PRESS & ARGUS

    Livingston Daily Press & Argus (Livingston County, MI)
    October 26, 2006

    Livingston County sheriff's Deputy Ken Taylor is
    remembering the life of his second cousin, Lance Cpl.
    Nicholas J. Manoukian.

    Manoukian, 22, of Lathrup Village, was among the four
    Marines based at Camp Lejeune who died Saturday during
    combat in Anbar province, Iraq.

    He was killed when a roadside bomb hit his Humvee near
    Ramadi.

    "He was young, but he did what he wanted to do,"
    Taylor said. "He was not afraid to serve his country.
    That was his calling."

    The Defense Department identified the other Marines
    killed as Lance Cpl. Clifford R. Collinsworth, 20, of
    Chelsea; Lance Cpl. Nathan R. Elrod, 20, of Salisbury,
    N.C.; and Cpl. Joshua C. Watkins, 25, of Jacksonville,
    Fla.

    Collinsworth, Manoukian and Elrod were members of the
    1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment of the 2nd Marine
    Division. Watkins was a member of the division's 2nd
    Tank Battalion.

    Taylor, former school resource officer for the Howell
    Police Department, said Manoukian was a good kid who
    enjoyed sports, in particular soccer and hockey.

    Taylor said Manoukian was a man not afraid to serve
    his country.

    "He always wanted to be part of a brotherhood," Taylor
    said. "He liked the Marines because it's a close-knit
    family."

    Manoukian was born in Westland, attended Southfield
    Christian School and Royal Oak Shrine High School and
    graduated from Royal Oak Kimball High School in 2003.

    He studied art at Oakland University and joined the
    Marines in June 2004. He first was deployed to Iraq in
    2005 and returned to Iraq in October for a second tour
    of duty, Taylor said.

    Manoukian married his longtime girlfriend, Danielle,
    at the National Shrine of the Little Flower Catholic
    Church in Royal Oak on July 8.

    "We share the same wedding anniversary," Taylor noted.
    "He will be sorely missed. He died doing what he
    believed in. He did what he could do to make the world
    a safer place.

    "He gave his life; the ultimate sacrifice," the deputy
    said.

    Manoukian also is survived by his mother, Mary
    Manoukian Calhoun; stepfather, Gary Calhoun; and
    stepson, Nico Mullen.

    Collinsworth was eager to join the Marines, leaving
    for boot camp days after graduating from Chelsea High
    School two years ago.

    "He wanted to be a Marine for a long time, and it was
    a great thing for him," Collinsworth's 22-year-old
    sister, Melissa Collinsworth, said. She said he hoped
    to attend college and teach history.

    Contact Lisa Roose-Church at (517) 552-2846 or at
    [email protected].

    The Associated Press contributed to this story.

    http://www.dailypressandargus.com/apps/pbc s.dll/article?AID=/20061026/NEWS01/610260313/1002

    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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