{"article":{"id":118501,"heading":"Local Soldier Killed in Iraq","author":"DJ","created":"2004-11-04 03:51:33","modified":"2005-08-15 03:04:23","last_modified":"Mon, 15 Aug 2005 10:04:23","article":"<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body><p>MILITARY DEATHS <br><br> Marine Lance Cpl. Richard P. Slocum, 19, Saugus; Killed in Humvee Rollover <br><br> By Catherine Saillant <br>  <br> Times Staff Writer <br><br> October 31, 2004 <br><br> Richard P. Slocum joined the Marine Corps right after high school because he wanted to become a man, his father says. <br><br> Always a \"tough guy,\" the 19-year-old viewed the military as a way to serve his country while gaining new skills and discipline, his father, Robert, said. <br><br> \"Ricky felt the Marines would make a man of him,\" he said. \"It definitely did.\" <br><br> The lance corporal was killed Oct. 24 in a noncombat accident when a Humvee he was riding in rolled over near Abu Ghraib, Iraq, his father said. <br><br> Slocum was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, military officials said. The Department of Defense did not release details about the accident, saying it is under investigation. <br><br> Slocum had been manning a machine gun in the turret when the Humvee swerved to avoid a barrier in the road. He was fatally ejected when the vehicle rolled over, his father said. <br><br> He said his son had hoped to attend college after a four-year stint in the military. <br><br> Robert Slocum and his wife, Kay, supported their son's decision to join the Marines shortly after his graduation from Saugus High School last year even though no one else in the family had served in the military since the Korean War. <br><br> Slocum played football and baseball and enjoyed bodybuilding in high school, his father said. After straying from religion, Slocum began quoting Bible verses in letters home as he approached his duty in Iraq, his father said. <br><br> \"He had a tough-guy image,\" Robert Slocum said. \"But deep down inside, he had a soft heart and would do anything for family and friends.\" <br><br> In addition to his parents, Slocum is survived by a brother, Robert, 22; a sister, Kimberly, 24; his grandparents, Bob and Shirley Slocum of Lake Havasu City, Ariz., and Hilma Kelley of Lancaster; and a nephew. <br><br> Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday at Eternal Valley Mortuary in Newhall. <br><br> Services will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday [Nov. 2] at Grace Baptist Church in Santa Clarita. Burial will be at Eternal Valley Cemetery in Newhall. <br><br> In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Red Cross. Checks should be made out to ARC-Service to Military Families and sent to 2700 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90057.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","contact":"","link":"http:\/\/www.latimes.com\/news\/printedition\/california\/la-me-slocum31oct31,1,1213354.story","address":"","phone":"","parent_id":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","summary":"Marine Lance Cpl. Richard P. Slocum, 19, Saugus; Killed in Humvee Rollover","numcomment":2,"fileurl":"\/uploads\/2004\/11\/marine_lance_cpl._richard_p._slocum.jpg","filesize":"14.5 kibibytes","article_url":"\/news\/2004\/11\/118501.php","image":{"original":"\/uploads\/2004\/11\/marine_lance_cpl._richard_p._slocum.jpg","small":"\/uploads\/2004\/11\/marine_lance_cpl._richard_p._slocum.jpgthumb.jpg"}},"attachments":[],"comments":[{"id":118502,"heading":"Daily News Article","article":"Los Angeles Daily News\r\n\r\nLocal Marine killed in Iraq recalled as brave, bright\r\nBy Eugene Tong\r\nStaff Writer\r\n\r\nTuesday, October 26, 2004 - VALENCIA -- A 19-year-old Marine who was killed in Iraq in a Humvee accident earlier this week -- the first local casualty on military duty there -- was remembered Tuesday as a spirited young man who rose to his potential through military service.\r\n\r\nLance Cpl. Richard Patrick Slocum joined the U.S. Marine Corps. in 2003, right after graduation from Saugus High. A machine gunner in the 3rd Marine Division, he died Sunday near Abu Ghraib in a crash that is under investigation, military officials said.\r\n\r\n&quot;He was brave, committed to going into the Marines and to be successful in fighting for his country,&quot; his father, Robert Slocum, said Tuesday.\r\n\r\n&quot;He was very fun-loving, very spirited,&quot; said his mother, Kay Slocum, between sobs. &quot;He had a loving heart. He loved his country, and he loved God.&quot;\r\n\r\nAt Slocum's alma mater Tuesday, some students sought counseling while the Associated Student Body organized a collection -- $1 per student -- for his family, said Marty Fricke, a Saugus High counselor.\r\n\r\n&quot;He just saw an opportunity with the military, and he joined,&quot; said Fricke, who was Slocum's guidance counselor.\r\n\r\nSlocum grew up in Santa Clarita and loved sports. He played in the Santa Clarita Valley Athletic Association's youth football program, his mother said.\r\n\r\n&quot;But by the time he was at Saugus (High), he was more interested in girls,&quot; she said. &quot;He was charming and very well-liked.&quot;\r\n\r\nHe was a committed to body building. In a yearbook photo, Slocum posed shirtless with his bulging arms folded across his chest. His green eyes peered skyward and he smirked mischievously.\r\n\r\nThe caption read: &quot;There's no doubt about it ... senior Richard Slocum definitely has no trouble getting the ladies.&quot;\r\n\r\nSlocum was competitive and also bright, though it didn't always show in his grades, his parents said.\r\n\r\n&quot;He wanted to be better than everybody else, but he had a really sensitive heart,&quot; his mother said about the young man who was unsure about life after graduation until he enlisted in the Marines. &quot;He felt the Marines would make a man out of him; he would get the discipline he needed.&quot;\r\n\r\nIn the months before graduation and boot camp, he and a friend who was headed into the Army shaved their heads.\r\n\r\n&quot;It was for the tough-guy image,&quot; Slocum's father said.\r\n\r\nHis mother didn't like the head-shaving: &quot;He really looked good with hair.&quot;\r\n\r\nSlocum completed basic training and was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, based in Hawaii.\r\n\r\n&quot;It was the proudest day of my life because he was so proud,&quot; his mother recalled about the sight of him in uniform. &quot;A huge number of family members were all there to witness it.&quot;\r\n\r\nHe was sent to Iraq about two months ago.\r\n\r\nSlocum is survived by his parents; sister, Kimberly; brother, Robert Jr.; and grandparents, Shirley and Robert Slocum and Hilma Kelley.\r\n\r\nServices are pending. \r\n\r\n-- Eugene Tong, (661) 257-5253 eugene.tong@dailynews.com","author":"DJ","parent_id":118501,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2004-11-04 03:57:36","modified":"2004-11-04 03:57:36","fileurl":""},{"id":118638,"heading":"Funeral Report","article":"\u2018He Was Born a Soldier\u2019\r\nFriends, family pay final respects to local Marine killed in a military vehicle crash in Iraq.\r\n\r\n11\/3\/2004\r\nJudy O'Rourke [Signal Staff Writer]\r\n\r\nA local Marine who died in Iraq was remembered Tuesday as a charismatic leader who looked out for his friends.\r\n\r\n \u201cHis presence glowed,\u201d said Ryan Annett, honorary pall bearer at Lance Cpl. Richard P. Slocum\u2019s funeral. \u201cHe was a leader.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe 19-year-old Saugus High School graduate died Oct. 24 after he was thrown from a Humvee, which overturned after swerving to avoid a barricade in the road. The crash, which happened near Abu Ghraib, is being investigated.\r\n\r\nMore than 800 people \u2014 half of whom were Slocum\u2019s peers \u2014 attended a memorial service held at Grace Baptist Church, where Slocum\u2019s flag-draped coffin rested beneath a halo of floral arrangements. \r\n\r\n\u201cRicky is looking down, and I know he would be like, \u2018Wow! Party!\u2019\u201d said his father, Bob Slocum, whose wife, Kay, grasped his arm as he read a letter to his son. \u201cYou were bright, stubborn and argumentative from your early years. We wouldn\u2019t have changed a thing.\u201d \r\n\r\nHe said he was proud of how his son turned his life around, transforming from a child to a man during Marine training. His reminiscence of all the \u201cpretty girls\u201d attracted to his son, and his admission that \u201cWe know you didn\u2019t tell us everything,\u201d drew a resonating laugh from the solemn crowd. \r\n\r\nMen and women dabbed their eyes with tissues, and coughs and stifled cries punctuated the nearly two-hour service. \r\n\r\nMarines escorted Slocum\u2019s casket from the desert in Iraq to the tented patch of grass at Eternal Valley Memorial Park and Mortuary. \r\n\r\nA soft wind rifled through the trees as Marines performed a 21-gun salute. A bagpipe wailed \u201cAmazing Grace,\u201d and a flock of white doves released into the sky flew in a tight pattern until they disappeared from view.\r\n\r\n\u201c(Slocum) always stuck up for everybody, always stood up if anybody needed anything,\u201d said Chris Yazgulian, 19, a friend since junior high school. \u201cHe\u2019d be right there for them. Everybody loved him.\u201d\r\n\r\nA family friend who coached Slocum and his own son in baseball reminisced about a particular game during junior high school.\r\n\r\n\u201cIt was a close game; both were undefeated teams,\u201d said Peter Benesch, a battalion chief for the Los Angeles County Fire Department. \u201cTheir pitchers hit a couple players. Ricky was up. The pitch hit (him). He charged the mound and everybody from both dugouts (joined in). It was his claim to fame \u2014 the bench-clearing brawl.\u201d \r\n\r\nThe game was stopped, and there were consequences. But that was Slocum to the \u201cnth degree,\u201d Benesch said affectionately.\r\n\r\nSlocum was involved with church youth groups, and friends remembered his warmth. \r\n\r\n\u201cHe was the most loving person,\u201d said Jessica Oliver, 17. \u201cIt was amazing. He had a lovely voice. He was so cute when he sang. And whenever you were scared, you wanted Ricky around. He would take care of you.\u201d\r\n\r\nBrittany Buongiorno, 16, said, \u201cHe was gorgeous. He had the prettiest smile. He was an amazing, kind person. He influenced people to be a better person, a better Christian. He made everyone feel like they were so special.\u201d\r\n\r\nA young man who said he was Slocum\u2019s best friend, but asked not to be named, became a private in the Army after enlisting in military service with Slocum. \r\n\r\nThe man summed up his friend\u2019s life: \u201cHe was born a soldier.\u201d","author":"DJ","parent_id":118501,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","created":"2004-11-08 06:15:20","modified":"2013-11-11 00:31:32","fileurl":"\/usr\/local\/www-domains\/la.indymedia.org\/public\/uploads\/2004\/11\/110304slocum.jpg","image":{"original":"\/usr\/local\/www-domains\/la.indymedia.org\/public\/uploads\/2004\/11\/110304slocum.jpg"}}]}