FAREWELL TO MARK, MY MARINE, MY HERO, MY SON:

I DEEPLY APPRECIATE EACH AND EVERYONE OF YOU HERE TODAY TO HONOR MY SON. MY WIFE, MY SONS AND DAUGHTERS, AND I HAVE BEEN DEEPLY MOVED BY THE ARMY OF WONDERFUL FAMILY AND FRIENDS AND EVEN STRANGERS SURROUNDING US AND OFFERING THEIR THOUGHTS, THEIR BEST WISHES AND THEIR PRAYERS THROUGHOUT THIS TRAGEDY. FROM THE BOTTOM OF OUR HEARTS, I THANK YOU AND MY FAMILY THANKS YOU.

I BEGIN BY ACCOUNTING FOR THE MOST PRECIOUS POSSESSIONS IN MY LIFE: I ADORE MY WONDERFUL AND BEAUTIFUL WIFE, SHARON; MY 5 BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN, DANA, RACHAEL, MARK, ERIC AND BRAD. I ALSO LOVE AND APPRECIATE MY SON-IN-LAW, DEAN ULIZIO, WHO MY DAUGHTER RACHAEL CHOSE AS HER LIFE PARTNER AND WILL MAKE SHARON AND ME FIRST TIME PROUD GRANDPARENTS IN DECEMBER. ANEW LIFE IN OUR FAMILY BEGINS AS WE MAKE ROOM IN OUR HEARTS TO WELCOME AND LOVE THE BABY.

BUT INCREDIBLY, SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT MERCY, MY SON, MARK, WAS SNATCHED FROM US. NOW THE CENTER OF OUR HEARTS HAS A HUGE HOLE. I WILL AWAKE EACH MORNING KNOWING MY MARK WILL NOT CALL AND WILL NOT COME HOME. I WILL LIVE EACH DAY FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE TRYING TO COMPREHEND THAT HE IS GONE.

BUT HERE HE LIES TODAY AND SOMEWHERE IN THERE WITH HIM IS A CHUNK OF MY HEART. I NOW HAVE A HEART THAT CAN NEVER BE REPAIRED, BUT A HEART THAT WILL FOREVER BE FILLED WITH ALL THE MEMORIES OF MARK AS A BOY AND AS A MAN.

DURING HIS DEPLOYMENTS, MARK WAS NEVER GIVEN TO BE A GREAT COMMUNICATOR WITH THE PEN, BUT HE WAS ABLE TO PHONE HOME QUITE REGULARLY FROM CAMP LEJEUNE, NC AND IRAQ, USUALLY 2 OR 3 TIMES A MONTH. WE WOULD ALSO GET EMAILS FROM MARK BUT YOU HAD TO GIVE ON TO GET ONE. IT SEEMED HIS EMAILS WOULD ALMOST ALWAYS HAVE TO BEGIN WTTH THE REPLY BUTTON.

WHENEVER I WOULD ANSWER THE PHONE "HELLO" WHEN MARK CALLED, I WOULD GET A "DAD-DEE" IN HIS INIMITABLE WAY. WE WOULD TALK ABOUT ALL KINDS OF STUFF AND YET HE WAS ALWAYS QUICK TO RE-ASSURE ME HE'S OK, HIS BUDDIES ARE OK AND HE PROMISED ME THERE WOULD BE NO HEROICS, BECAUSE I WANTED HIM BACK IN ONE PIECE. HIS USUAL UPBEAT ATTITUDE ALWAYS LEFT ME FEELING GOOD AFTER EACH CALL OR EMAIL.

BUT MARK COULDN'T HELP HIMSELF; HE WAS A NATURAL LEADER WHO DREW PEOPLE TO HIM. HE COULDN'T HELP BUT BECOME A HERO, MY HERO, HIS FAMILY'S HERO, HIS COUNTRY'S HERO. TO HIM HE WAS JUST DOING HIS JOR BUT WHATEVER HE DID IN LIFE, HE DID IT WITH ZEAL AND CONTAGIOUS ENTHUSIASM. THAT'S MARK; I CAN'T EVER REMEMBER HIM DOING ANYTHING QUIETLY OR TIMIDLY. MARK WAS AN ATHLETE, FROM HIS YOUTH SOCCER AND HOCKEY TEAMS TO HIS VARSITY FOOTBALL AT CHERRY CREEK HIGH SCHOOL, AND LATER HIS RUGBY TEAM.

BEING FATHER TO 5 HIGH ACHIEVERS, I'VE HAD THE UTTER JOY OF WATCHING MY CHILDRENS' BAR AND BAT MITZVAHS, GRADUATIONS AND COMMENCEMENTS. BUT I TELL PEOPLE, WHILE TAKING NOTHING AWAY FROM ALL THEIR ACCOMPLISHMENTS, I NEVER WAS SO OVERWHELMED EMOTIONALLY AS I WAS AT MARK'S COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY FROM MARINE BOOT CAMP IN SAN DIEGO. MARK MADE IT AND HE MADE IT WITH HIGH MARKS AND 1 FELT HE HAD SUCCEEDED IN SOMETHING HE TRULY WANTED AND WAS PROUD TO BE A PART OF. HE SPOKE OF A MILITARY CAREER. HE WAS TRULY AT PEACE WITH HIMSELF AND HIS DIRECTION.

YOU SEE, MARK JUST BARELY GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL IN 2001. HE DIDN'T THINK ATTENDING CLASS HIS SENIOR YEAR WAS OF GREAT BENEFIT, PARTICULARLY WHEN THERE WAS A WHOLE LOT OF OTHER STUFF HE'D RATHER BE DOING. MARK HAD EXPRESSED HIS DESIRE IN THE PAST TO JOIN THE MARINE CORPS, BUT MOM AND DAD WERE NOT TOO CRAZY ABOUT THAT IDEA.

MARK FLOUNDERED AROUND FOR A FEW MONTHS AFTER HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION, GOING FROM JOB TO JOB, AND TRYING THIS AND THAT AS HE JUST WASN'T READY FOR COLLEGE. SO IN NOVEMBER FOLLOWING 9/11, MARK INFORMED HIS MOM AND DAD HE HAD JOINED THE CORPS AND HE WAS SCHEDULED TO LEAVE IMMEDIATELY FOR SAN DIEGO U.S. MARINE BOOT CAMP.

I CAME TO REALIZE AT THE BOOT CAMP CEREMONY AND AFTER SPENDING A GREAT DEAL OF TIME WITH HIM THAT WEEK END, HE TRULY FOUND HIMSELF. A FATHER CAN TAKE GREAT PLEASURE IN KNOWING HIS CHILD IS FULFILLING A DREAM, EVEN IF IT IS NOT WHAT HIS PARENTS WOULD HAVE WANTED. BUT MARK KNEW WHAT HE WANTED. HE LOVED THE MILITARY AND HE WAS LIVING IT.

BUT SOMETIME JUST BEFORE HIS SECOND DEPLOYMENT IN IRAQ, MARK BEGAN TO CHANGE. HE BEGAN TO CONSIDER OTHER OBTAINABLE OPTIONS IN HIS LIFE. WE SPOKE ABOUT POSSIBLE COLLEGES HE COULD ATTEND AFTER HE COMPLETED HIS 4 YR OBLIGATION IN THE MARINE CORPS. HE HAD LESS THAN A YEAR TO GO, WE ALSO DISCUSSED POSSIBLE BUSINESSES HE COULD HANDLE WHILE ATTENDING SCHOOL. IT WAS ALL POSITIVE AND MARK WAS NOW READY TO UNDERTAKE A CLEAR CAREER PATH OTHER THAN THE MILITARY WHICH ALSO INCLUDED HIGHER EDUCATION.

BUT THEN ON JULY 6TH, WE GOT THE DREADED CALL THAT DEEP DOWN YOU ALWAYS KNEW COULD HAPPEN BUT WAS ALWAYS UNSPEAKABLE. MARK WAS VERY SERIOUSLY INJURED IN IRAQ AND THEY WERE TRANSPORTING HIM TO GERMANY ON LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS FOR FURTHER MEDICAL TREATMENT. WE IMMEDIATELY FLEW TO GERMANY TO BE WITH HIM AND WITHIN 6 HRS OF ARRIVING WE FOUND OURSELVES ON A MILITARY TRANSPORT RACING AGAINST TIME, FLYING BACK TO THE BROOKE ARMY MEDICAL CENTER BURN UNIT IN SAN ANTONIO, TX THE DOCTORS ADVISED US HIS ONLY CHANCE FOR SURVIVAL WAS AT THIS PARTICULAR HOSPITAL. HE REMARKABLY SURVIVED THE TRIP AND FOR 2 WEEKS MARK FOUGHT FOR HIS LIFE WHILE WE STOOD BY, HE WOULD HAVE SETBACKS WHERE THE DOCTORS SAID WE WERE LOSING HIM AND WOULD RALLY BACK SEVERAL TIMES. I CAN'T HELP BUT THINK THAT THIS BOY HAD EVERY POSSIBLE PROCEDURE KNOWN TO MANKIND PERFORMED ON HIS LIFELESS BODY, AND HE FOUGHT AND HE FOUGHT, BUT WE LOST THE RACE. THE ODDS AGAINST HIM WERE JUST TOO OVERWHELMING BUT WE KEPT CLINGING TO EVERY SHRED OF HOPE OR SIGN OF A RALLY, THE REAL RALLY THAT NEVER CAME.

IT IS JEWISH TRADITION WHEN WE LOSE A LOVED ONE WE RECITE THE KADDISH, A PRAYER WHICH REAFFIRMS OUR FAITH IN GOD AND LIFE ITSELF. IN TIME WE MUST OVERCOME THIS DEBILITATING PAIN WE FEEL AND GO ON FOR THE SAKE OF OUR FAMILY.

I TAKE COMFORT IN BELIEVING GOD IS THE SOURCE OF ALL LIFE AND THERE IS NO MASTER PLAN ON WHO SHALL LIVE AND WHO SHALL DIE AMONG ALL PEOPLE WHO ARE CREATED EQUAL IN GODS EYES. MARK WAS FULL OF LIFE, THAT HAD TO PLEASE THE ALMIGHTY. THE KADDISH WILL NOW TAKE ON EXTRA MEANING KNOWING MARK LIVED AND WAS LOVED AND HE HAS LEFT BEHIND MEMORIES WE CAN ALL CHERISH HIS SPIRIT NOW GOES TO GOD FOR SAFE KEEPING.

PEACE MY SON, YOU FOUGHT VALIANTLY. YOUR FATHER, YOUR MOTHER, YOUR SISTERS AND BROTHERS WILL ALWAYS CARRY YOU IN OUR HEARTS SO LONG AS WE ALL SHALL LIVE.