Former Newton man dies by
bomb in Iraq
A former Newton resident who
became a U.S. Marine was killed Feb. 17 while conducting combat operations in
the Al Anbar province of Iraq.
Lance Cpl. Brian A.
Escalante, 25, of Dodge City, lived in Newton prior to joining the military.
"He lived here for about
two years ago before he joined the Marines, said Dawn Unruh, the aunt of
Escalante's wife. "He worked at Prestressed Concrete while he lived here
and has relatives here."
His wife, Crystal, and their
2-year-old son, Aidyn, now live in Wichita.
Escalante was a mortarman
with the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine
Expeditionary Force out of Twentynine Palms, Calif. He went to Iraq with his
unit in September in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The news release from the
U.S. Department of Defense announcing the death did not include additional
details of Escalante's death, but his mother, Rebecca Escalante of Dodge City,
said he was riding in a Humvee with four other Marines when a remote-controlled
roadside bomb exploded.
Rebecca Escalante said two of
the soldiers were seriously wounded and returned to the United States for
treatment, and the other two suffered minor injuries and remained in Iraq. She
learned about her son's death the day he was killed.
"It just kind of set off
a chain reaction," she said in a phone interview. "We all were upset
and hurt that he was dead."
Escalante was born Oct. 6,
1981, and joined the Marine Corps on Feb. 19, 2004. His awards include the
National Defense Service Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal and the Global War on
Terrorism Service Medal.
Other survivors include his
father, Gilbert.
Escalante's mother said he
had already completed one tour of duty in Iraq and returned for a second tour
in September 2006.
"My son cared, and he
loved his family and country," she said. "He wanted to serve his
country, and we're really very proud of him, even though we're going to miss
him a lot."
Information for this story
provided by Eric Swanson of the Dodge City Globe and Newton Kansan staff.
