Sgt. Mark Adams, 24, a graduate of Cary High School, was a member of the Marine Forces Reserve's II Marine Expeditionary Force Augmentation Command Element from Camp Lejeune.
He died last weekend after a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Saqlawiyah, Iraq. He was standing in the machine gun turret of the armored Humvee, the only position on the truck that was exposed. No one else on the vehicle was hurt.
Adams first joined the Marines after he graduated from high school in 1999. When his enlistment ended, he returned to the Triangle area and helped coach the wrestling team at Cary High School, where he had been a star wrestler.
His parents said he felt compelled to re-enlist after the war began in Iraq because he wanted to fight terrorism.
Adams will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
