Individual Details

Death

Marine Sgt. Jeffrey L. Kirk, 24, of Baton Rouge, La.; assigned to 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; killed Dec. 12 by enemy action in Anbar province, Iraq. He received the Good Conduct Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon and the National Defense Service Medal. Survivors include his wife, Carly Furr Kirk of Central; his father, Peter Kirk of Abita Springs; his mother, Lisa Kirk of Abita Springs; a brother, Benjamin Kirk of Abita Springs; and his grandparents, David and Audrey Kirk and Beverly Lynch.

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A Baton Rouge soldier killed in Iraq had already been wounded in the line of duty once and had asked to be sent back, family members said. When Jeffrey Lynn Kirk was considering joining the U.S. Marine Corps as a student McKinley High School in Baton Rouge, his mother warned him of the possibility of dying in combat. His reply was “At least I would die doing what I wanted to do with my life,” Lisa Kirk of Abita Springs said. Kirk, 24, was killed Sunday by enemy fire in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, Ist Marine Division, Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif. This was Kirk’s second deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, according to the Department of Defense. Lisa Kirk said although her son, whose interests included art and poetry, was an honor graduate and participated in the gifted program at McKinley, he had planned to enter the military even before graduation. “He wanted to be in the military. He wanted to be a Marine,” she said. Kirk rose through the ranks to become a platoon sergeant in the Marines’ Special Forces anti-terrorism security team, known as Fast Company, said Kirk's father, Peter. During his six-year military career, Kirk was awarded the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon and the National Defense Service Medal, according to the Marine Corps. When it came time to re-enlist, Kirk was set to become a pistol instructor at the Marine Corps Officer Candidate School in Quantico, Va. After the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, however, he requested a transfer to an infantry unit to serve in Iraq, his father said. “He felt like if he didn’t do this he would look back on his life as this was something he should have done,” Peter Kirk said. Kirk was shot in the thigh in a November firefight; he was to receive a medal for valor in combat, his father said. After he recovered, Kirk requested to be put back in action. Although his enlistment was to expire this month, he chose to extend it to stay with his men, Lisa Kirk said. “He was truly dedicated to what he was doing,” she said. After returning from his first deployment in Iraq, Kirk married “the love of his life” Carly Furr, of Baker, in September 2003, Lisa Kirk said. She said Kirk’s wife, who resides in California, heads a volunteer group which supports the families of Marines deployed overseas, has attended funerals of Marines killed in action and written letters of condolence to their families. Upon release of Kirk’s body, his family, including his 10-year-old brother Benjamin, will hold services for him. Burial will be at Port Hudson National Cemetery in Zachary, his mother said.
The Daily Review, Morgan City, Louisiana, December 16, 2004