Honoring the slain
By Natalie Schachar and Christine Mai-Duc>>> A lone gunman, Mohammod Youssuf Abdulazeez, opened fire on two military sites in Chattanooga, Tenn., on Thursday, killing four Marines and a sailor. “This is a sad day for the United States,” U.S. Atty. Bill Killian said after the shooting. “These service members served their country with pride.”
Marine Lance Cpl. Squire K. ‘Skip’ Wells
Lance Cpl. Squire K. Wells, 21, a native of Georgia, joined the Marine Corps on Feb. 10, 2014, following in the footsteps of other family members with military backgrounds. Wells was on active duty as part of the Mike Battery, 3rd Battalion, 14th Marine Regiment in Tennessee and served as a field artillery cannoneer.
Known to family and friends as Skip, he attended Sprayberry High School and Georgia Southern University. He had planned on studying history in college, but left before receiving his degree in order to enlist, according to Andy Kingery, a family friend.
“I think he felt he was destined to be a Marine all along,” Kingery said.
Kingery said that Skip was awaiting deployment. Thursday was his first day of a voluntary two-week assignment at the reserve center on Amnicola Highway. “He was an outgoing kid, the kind of kid that you’d want to hang around,” said Kingery. “He was very enthusiastic about everything he did.”
Friends described Wells as upbeat and patriotic. “He was a great person and great American,” said Alex Morris, who attends Georgia Southern University.
Marine Gunnery Sgt. Thomas J. Sullivan
Gunnery Sgt. Thomas Sullivan, 40, a native of Springfield, Mass., served in the Marines for almost two decades. He was a member of the Mike Battery, 3rd Battalion, 14th Marine Regiment in Tennessee, specializing as a field artillery cannoneer. He was deployed twice to Iraq and also served in the western Pacific.
A post on the Facebook page of a restaurant owned by Sullivan’s brother, Joseph, mourned his death. “Rest in Peace Gunnery Sgt. Thomas Sullivan,” it read. “He was our hero and he will never be forgotten. … Thank you Tommy for protecting us.”
Jim Leydon, a Springfield city spokesman, said the Sullivan family is active in the community and often holds fundraisers for local schools and other causes. “They’ve really become ingrained in the city of Springfield,” Leydon said. Leydon said flags at City Hall had been lowered to half-staff to honor Sullivan.
Sullivan was the recipient of two Purple Hearts and a Combat Action Ribbon. He had also received the Korean Defense Service Medal, a Navy Marine Corps Achievement Medal and two Iraq Campaign Medals.
Marine Staff Sgt. David A. Wyatt
Staff Sgt. David A. Wyatt, 35, originally from Arkansas, joined the Marine Corps in 2004 in Burke, N.C. He was on active duty as part of the Mike Battery, 3rd Battalion, 14th Marine Regiment in Tennessee. Wyatt, who specialized in field artillery, had served three tours of duty, one in Afghanistan and two in Iraq.
Wyatt’s father, Allen Wyatt, praised his son as a good husband and father of two who enjoyed coaching his daughter’s soccer team. In his youth, Wyatt had earned the rank of Eagle Scout. Father and son ran the Marine Corps marathon together. Wyatt attended the University of Montana in Missoula, his father said.
On Facebook, Wyatt’s wife, Lorri, posted a picture of her husband in uniform with their two children. Mourners posted their condolences.
“He was such a great husband and father,” read one post. “I’m so so sorry for you Lorri, I am ALWAYS here for you.”
Marine Sgt. Carson A. Holmquist
Sgt. Carson A. Holmquist, 25, of Polk, Wis., joined the Marine Corps in 2009. He served in the Mike Battery, 3rd Battalion, 14th Marine Regiment in Tennessee and had been on two tours in 2013 and 2014 in Afghanistan.
He specialized in automotive maintenance and had received multiple awards from the Marine Corps, including the Navy Marine Corps Achievement Medal, a Good Conduct Medal, a Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, an Afghanistan Campaign Medal and a Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
On Facebook, Tyler Larsen, a friend, mourned Holmquist’s death. “RIP Carson Holmquist,” he wrote. “I was looking forward to grabbing drinks when you got out here.”
Instead, Larsen said that he would have a drink in Holmquist’s honor.
Navy Petty Off icer 2nd Class Randall Scott Smith
Navy Petty Officer Randall Scott Smith, 26, of Paulding, Ohio, joined the Navy in 2010 and served as a logistics specialist. He died surrounded by family members two days after the shooting.
“It’s hard to understand how somebody can hurt somebody that is serving for you, for your freedom, for your safety,” Smith’s mother, Paula Proxmire, told News Channel 15 in Fort Wayne, Ind., after her son was shot.
Darlene Proxmire, Smith’s stepgrandmother, described him as a standout baseball player who received a scholarship to play in college. He had not been deployed overseas, she said. Family members said he was married with three daughters.
“He was a very good young man,” she said. “He loved the Navy.”
In a statement on Twitter, Ohio Gov. John Kasich offered his condolences. “Ohio has lost another hero,” he said.
According to the Navy, Smith was a surface warfare specialist and had received the Navy “E” Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal and Pistol Marksmanship Ribbon.