Six Marines killed in Afghanistan remembered as 'noble warriors'

Six Marines from the base at Twentynine Palms, Calif., were remembered at a memorial service Friday as "noble warriors" who showed "great courage and unwavering resolve when they were tested" in combat in Afghanistan.

The six were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, which recently returned from a seven-month deployment to the Sangin area of Afghanistan, long a Taliban stronghold.

Lt. Col. David Bradney, commanding officer of the unit, told a gathering on base that the six should be remembered for "how they lived and not how they passed. They lived their lives with great meaning and purpose."

The six, killed during combat operations, were: Cpl. Taylor Baune, 21, of Coon Rapids, Minn.; Lance Cpl. Curtis Duarte, 22, of West Covina; Lance Cpl. Niall Coti-Sears, 23, of Washington, D.C.; Lance Cpl. Hunter Hogan, 21, of Seymour, Ind.; Lance Cpl. Eugene Mills III, 21, of Silver Springs, Md.; and Lance Cpl. Steven Stevens II, 23, of Detroit.

"This ceremony is part of the healing process," Bradney said. "We all feel great sorrow and anger, but we are not meant to remain wounded."

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--Tony Perry in San Diego

Photo: The family of Cpl. Taylor Baune grieve before the inverted-rifle display in his honor. Credit: U.S. Marine Corps