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| LCpl Jared Hubbard KIA 04 November 2004 |
Cpl Jeremiah Baro KIA 04 November 2004 |
 Their Platoon Sgt, Timothy LaSage (left), with Cpl Baro |
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| LCpl Jared Hubbard and Cpl Jeremiah Baro both died from injuries received as a result of enemy action in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. They were assigned to 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, California. | |
| Two Marines, best friends
since childhood, were killed in action in the Iraqi city of Ramadi
November 4, 2004, their families learned. Jared Hubbard, 22, and Jeremiah
Baro, 21, graduated in 2001 after wrestling together on the Buchanan High
School team. They enlisted in the Marines together, trained as snipers
together and returned together for a second tour in Iraq, where they were
killed Wednesday in an explosion. Hubbard's father, Jeff, said he was notified of his son's death Thursday at his home in the Fresno suburb of Clovis. "They grew up together their whole lives and were really good friends," said Jared Hubbard's 18-year-old brother, Nathan. He described him as "a perfect older brother" who looked out for him and helped him with homework. "He looked out for family and looked out for friends," Nathan Hubbard said Friday morning by telephone from the family's home. "He was always trying to make people's days better, always had a smile on his face." Baro's family couldn't immediately be reached. "I know Jeremiah has two great little brothers, and they're just not going to have that older brother around anymore. That hurts me the most," said their friend Paul Facio. "Jared is really good, he made time to be with his friends and his family. He was always doing extra hobbies with his brother, his sister, and he always made time for everyone." Chris Hansen, Buchanan's athletic director and former wrestling coach, said Hubbard kept in touch with school staffers while in Iraq, and spoke at the school before returning to action. Hubbard also had played defensive tackle on the school's football team. "A lot of people at our school knew Jared and really cared about him," Hansen said. "He's just a great kid. He wasn't the most talented kid on the team, but he was a kid who was at practice every day and gave 110 percent. He wasn't a quitter. He was a kid you just loved." Darrell Goodpaster, who wrestled with Hubbard and Baro, also saw his former teammates when they were home on leave. "This is a terrible thing. But I think this is what they wanted to do, and they made a choice, and they knew what they were getting into and made the ultimate sacrifice," he said. "I have a lot of respect for what they did. It just goes to their character of how tough they were and what kind of people they were." Hubbard joined the Marines after high school partly as a reaction to the Sept. 11 attacks, said his older brother, Jason. The family had conflicting emotions, a mixture of pride and apprehension because they knew he had signed up during a time of war. "He was young and looking for something that was honorable to do in life," said Jason, 30, also speaking Friday from the family's home. "He felt that was a calling he definitely could answer."
Grimaldi, LaSage, Baro, Hubbard |
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