|
 Kure
Beach Aikido Club Mourns the Loss of a Member Marine Gunnery Sgt., Elia Fontecchio,
age 30, was struck by a grenade and killed near Syria before completing his
second tour of duty.
Although Elia was born and raised in Florida, he had been stationed at Camp Lejeune,
and lived in 29 Palms, California. We in Kure Beach knew him well. He was a member
of the Kure Beach Aikido Club at the Kure Beach Community Center. While stationed
at Camp Lejeune, he would travel regularly to Kure Beach to train and
participate in club activities. He earned the rank of 5th kyu (3rd test) and had a strong
understanding of the art of peace as taught by Aikido. Frequently he would bring his
wife and infant son to class to share in his love for the art and the friendship
of the club. Once in Iraq, the club corresponded with him frequently and sent packages
of food, gifts, and books to him through the Adopt a Marine Program.
The club was notified of his death on Thursday, August 5th and held a memorial class
in his honor that evening. He will be greatly missed. Elia’s spirit and enthusiasm will always
be a part of the club. In his days at Milford High School, Elia Fontecchio was a driven
student with many interests who stood out among his peers. He played football, acted in school
plays and would sing in chorus. "He was a kid who was pleasant, friendly, and he was
a strong contributing member of the school community," recalled High School Principal John
Brucato. In the 1992 Milford High yearbook, Elia said his goal in life was "to continue being
myself and to follow my dreams and make them come true. "
On Wednesday, now-Marine Gunnery Sgt. Fontecchio, 30, was killed during fighting in
Iraq, just two weeks before completing his second tour of duty, according to the Department
of Defense. He leaves his wife, Kinney, his 2-year-old son Elia Jr., his twin sister Alicia Powers,
and his parents, Dennis and Cindy Fontecchio of Satellite Beach, Fla. "His father was a Marine and he knew all about military life," said Fontecchio. "His
father was instrumental in his life plans. He wasn't just over in Iraq for you
and me, he was over there because he wanted to support peace." In his high school yearbook,
Fontecchio listed "war" as one of his main dislikes. Fontecchio died after being injured
during a battle in the Anbar province, considered to be a volatile Sunni-dominated
region west of Baghdad,
the Defense Department said.
Fontecchio was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marines Division,
I Marine Expeditionary Force, based at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in
Twentynine Palms, Calif. This was his second deployment to Iraq. He left with
his unit to Operation Iraqi Freedom Two in February
2004.
According to a the public relations office at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat
Center in Twentynine Palms, Elia's list of awards include: a Combat Action Ribbon,
Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal (multiple awards), Navy-Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Navy-Marine
Corps Achievement (two
awards), Presidential Unit Citation, Meritorious Unit Commendation (two awards), Armed
Forces Expeditionary Medal, Armed Forces Service Medal, Marine Security Guard Ribbon
and Navy-Marine Corps Overseas
Service Ribbon (three awards), National Defense Service Medal (two awards), Sea Service
Deployment Ribbon (four awards) and The War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal.
A memorial education fund for his 2-year-old son has been established at:
Elia Fontecchio Memorial Fund
Navy Federal Credit Union
PO Box 3000
Merrifield, VA. 22199-3000
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