Mashpee Loses Two To War In Week
Soldier Killed In Afghanistan, Marine Dies In Iraq
POSTED: 8:12 am EDT August 17,
2008
UPDATED: 9:20 pm EDT August 17,
2008
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MASHPEE, Mass. -- Mashpee residents continued to grieve Sunday as word spread that a second soldier from the town was killed in fighting overseas.
VIDEO: Friends, Family Remember Slain SoldiersNewsCenter 5’s Jim Morelli reported that Army Pfc. Paul Conlon, 21, died Friday morning in Afghanistan when a roadside bomb blew up his vehicle.He died instantly his mother, Maria Conlon, said.Paul Conlon is the second combat death from the Upper Cape town this week. Marine Pfc. Daniel McGuire, 19, was killed Thursday in Fallujah, Iraq.“I lost my baby,” Maria Conlon said. “He was my youngest son, and my two sons are my life. They’re my sun, my moon and my stars. I just lost part of my heart.”Mashpee resident Jack Lynch, a friend of McGuire’s and a fellow Marine, remembered the 19-year-old’s ever-present smile.“There was never a side of Dan that wasn’t nice,” Lynch said. “He always had a smile; he’d always say hello. He was a great person.”While the deaths have weighed heavily on the community, selectwoman Terri Cook said that the soldier’s families can take solace in the selfless bravery of the two men.“I hope they realize how proud we are of their children that they gave the ultimate sacrifice,” Cook said.Paul Conlon’s family said that the 21-year-old had devoted himself to joining the armed forces from the age of 12. He became ill while training to be a Marine and was honorably discharged before enlisting in the Army.In June, Paul Conlon suffered a shrapnel wound, but stayed in Afghanistan, telling his family he was “there to protect women and children,” his mother said.Paul Conlon, who graduated from Mashpee High School in 2005, had also earned a generous scholarship to Franklin Pierce University in New Hampshire through his writing ability. He loved poetry, according to his mother.Paul Conlon’s family will hold a candlelight vigil on Monday night in the park across from Mashpee town hall.
VIDEO: Friends, Family Remember Slain SoldiersNewsCenter 5’s Jim Morelli reported that Army Pfc. Paul Conlon, 21, died Friday morning in Afghanistan when a roadside bomb blew up his vehicle.He died instantly his mother, Maria Conlon, said.Paul Conlon is the second combat death from the Upper Cape town this week. Marine Pfc. Daniel McGuire, 19, was killed Thursday in Fallujah, Iraq.“I lost my baby,” Maria Conlon said. “He was my youngest son, and my two sons are my life. They’re my sun, my moon and my stars. I just lost part of my heart.”Mashpee resident Jack Lynch, a friend of McGuire’s and a fellow Marine, remembered the 19-year-old’s ever-present smile.“There was never a side of Dan that wasn’t nice,” Lynch said. “He always had a smile; he’d always say hello. He was a great person.”While the deaths have weighed heavily on the community, selectwoman Terri Cook said that the soldier’s families can take solace in the selfless bravery of the two men.“I hope they realize how proud we are of their children that they gave the ultimate sacrifice,” Cook said.Paul Conlon’s family said that the 21-year-old had devoted himself to joining the armed forces from the age of 12. He became ill while training to be a Marine and was honorably discharged before enlisting in the Army.In June, Paul Conlon suffered a shrapnel wound, but stayed in Afghanistan, telling his family he was “there to protect women and children,” his mother said.Paul Conlon, who graduated from Mashpee High School in 2005, had also earned a generous scholarship to Franklin Pierce University in New Hampshire through his writing ability. He loved poetry, according to his mother.Paul Conlon’s family will hold a candlelight vigil on Monday night in the park across from Mashpee town hall.Copyright 2008 by TheBostonChannel.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
