Lance Cpl. Luke Yepsen
U.S. Marine Corps 04/01/86-12/14/06 Kingwood, TX Kingwood High School Luke Yepsen was one man whose life was making a difference at a very young age. He personified the core values of the United States Marine Corps of honor, courage, commitment. He was from Kingwood, Texas, a close-knit community near Houston, Texas. He was a graduate of Kingwood High School, and he was known for his big heart and ability to live life to its fullest extent. Luke deeply cared about his family back home in Texas and his military family. His fellow Marines said he was more than just a friend; he was a brother, a brother to everyone who knew him. Like many Texans, especially those Texans who go to war, Luke chose to enroll in Texas A&M after high school. During his freshman year, he made a decision to leave Texas A&M University. With faith in God and country, at 18 Luke enrolled in the United States Marine Corps. He was an assaultman, later a mechanic, which came easy to him because of his love of cars. In October of 2006, Luke was deployed to Iraq with the 1st Tank Battalion, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. On December 14, 2006, at the age of 20, Luke, while fighting the forces of evil, was killed by enemy action in Iraq. For his military service, he was awarded the Purple Heart, the Combat Action Ribbon, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Medal, and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon. On the morning of December 22, 2006, hundreds of Kingwood, Texas, residents lined the streets of this community paying tribute to the family of this patriot. Patriotism is alive and well in the United States. And as the Kingwood, Texas, community mourns the loss of America's son, Luke Yepsen, and all those who came before him and all those that will come after him, we know that freedom is not free, we thank this fearless Marine for dedicating his life to America.