A Wrenching Loss
Christopher Adlesperger's body arrived home in the cargo hold of a Delta Airlines plane. A military honor guard met the flight and the Albuquerque Police Department provided an escort for the hearse.
More than 500 people attended the funeral. The casket was taken aboard a fire engine to the Santa Fe National Cemetery, where Adlesperger's grandfather, Ed, an Air Force veteran, is buried.
Since the funeral, Wanda Adlesperger, a teacher and former real-estate agent, has taken to watching the lists of military personnel killed in action on PBS' "The Newshour With Jim Lehrer." She takes special notice of the Marine lance corporals.
"Those lance corporals don't last long," she said. (Her observation was affirmed by a recent academic study that found that the troop most likely to be killed in Iraq is a Marine lance corporal.)
Chris' mother, Annette, 41, has moved with her husband, Phillip Griego, and their children, Matthew, 13, Leandra, 11, and Phillip, 15, to Las Cruces, N.M., to be closer to her side of the family.
"That first year was downhill for everybody," Annette said. "We need a fresh start."
Tamara Adlesperger, 20, Chris' cousin, named her recently born son Christopher. "He has a warrior's name; maybe he'll have a warrior's spirit too," said Tamara's mother, Casy, 44, who has become involved in Blue Star Mothers, a group that sends packages of goodies to troops in Iraq.
Chris' father, Gary, 42, collapsed in the driveway of his home when his ex-wife called to say that their son was dead. He resumed drinking, spent time in the hospital, relapsed more than once. He says he's now been sober since Jan. 1. He got a job last month.
He's gotten involved with TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors) and attended some of its meetings. He calls the day he was told his son was nominated for the Medal of Honor "hands down, the proudest day of my life."
Like others in the family, Gary continues to support the U.S. mission in Iraq. On his lapel is a pin with the U.S. and Marine Corps flags.
Even for combat-hardened troops, Adlesperger's death was emotionally wrenching. In the midst of the fight to rid Fallouja of insurgents, Marines took time to mourn. Several later had his name tattooed on their arms.
"When we finally went firm [moved to a secure location], one of the noncommissioned officers cried all night about Chris, and I had to separate him from the other Marines," Starner said.
A member of Kilo Company wrote later in an online tribute to Adlesperger: "This is to you and your family, a sincere thank-you for letting all of us come home and live and love. But most importantly, showing us what sacrifice and being a true man is all about."
The night Adlesperger died, Malay went to the mortuary affairs unit at the Marine encampment in Fallouja to inspect his body, in part so he could tell the family how he died.
But that was not the only reason.
"It's a hard thing to explain, but somehow I just felt compelled to say goodbye," said Malay in a soft, slow voice during an interview in Carlisle, Pa., where he is attending the Army War College.
"He had a touch of greatness."
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tony.perry@latimes.com