Spc. James L. Beckstrand of Escondido, California was born in Reno and moved to Escondido, a north San Diego suburb, in third grade. After graduating from Escondido High School in 1995 and worked a few odd jobs before enlisting in the Marine Corps serving from September 1995 to September 1999, then took a year off from the military and then joined the Army in December 2000. He had already finished one tour in Iraq, part of the first wave of soldiers transported to the region for the invasion in 2003. When he returned to the United States, he married his Italian-born wife, Marilena, over the summer. They had a honeymoon in Escondido and a few months together before he was deployed again, first to Germany, then Iraq. In Baghdad, he served on a patrol team that detected and removed bombs from roads near the city. In his down time, he liked to hang out with friends and surf. He is survived by his wife, Marilena, and his parents, J.L. Beckstrand and Kathleen Genoway. He died when a vehicle approached his unit and the driver detonated a bomb at age 27.
Army
4th Battalion
27th Field Artillery Regiment
1st Armored Division
Baumholder, Germany
Army
4th Battalion
27th Field Artillery Regiment
1st Armored Division
Baumholder, Germany
Spc. James L. Beckstrand of Escondido, California was born in Reno and moved to Escondido, a north San Diego suburb, in third grade. After graduating from Escondido High School in 1995 and worked a few odd jobs before enlisting in the Marine Corps serving from September 1995 to September 1999, then took a year off from the military and then joined the Army in December 2000. He had already finished one tour in Iraq, part of the first wave of soldiers transported to the region for the invasion in 2003. When he returned to the United States, he married his Italian-born wife, Marilena, over the summer. They had a honeymoon in Escondido and a few months together before he was deployed again, first to Germany, then Iraq. In Baghdad, he served on a patrol team that detected and removed bombs from roads near the city. In his down time, he liked to hang out with friends and surf. He is survived by his wife, Marilena, and his parents, J.L. Beckstrand and Kathleen Genoway. He died when a vehicle approached his unit and the driver detonated a bomb at age 27.
Army
4th Battalion
27th Field Artillery Regiment
1st Armored Division
Baumholder, Germany
Army
4th Battalion
27th Field Artillery Regiment
1st Armored Division
Baumholder, Germany
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
