VAN WERT, Ohio – A Marine infantry scout stationed in California died after he fell asleep with his gun and it accidentally fired one shot into his chest, the Pentagon said.
Marine Pfc. Christian D. Gurtner, 19, of Ohio City, Ohio, died early Wednesday morning, Chief Warrant Officer Suzanne Handshoe said Thursday.
Christian Gurtner
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"There are many dangers associated with war fighting, the enemy is one of them and unfortunately, things that are not directly related to combat will claim a life," said Capt. Robert Crum, public affairs officer at the Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, Calif.
Gurtner was the fifth Marine deployed from the base to lose his life in the Iraq war. He was with the 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division.
Handshoe did not know where in Iraq Gurtner died.
"He was proud and believed in what he was doing," his family said in a short statement. "He wanted the Iraqis to have the same privileges as we Americans."
Staff Sgt. Eryck Little, who recruited Gurtner and is serving as a family spokesman, said Gurtner almost joined the Army but instead went for his first choice: to become a Marine infantryman.
"He was a typical Marine," Little said. "He was young, motivated, hard-charging. He was the type of guy who stepped up to the plate to a challenge."
Thursday night, about a dozen cars were parked along the street outside the home of Gurtner's mother and stepfather, Eldona and Gary Wagonrod. Somber friends and relatives who gathered on the lawn said no one was ready to talk.
A homemade sign hung from the Wagonrod's porch that read "Support Our Troops," and yellow ribbons were tied around posts and trees. Ohio City is a small farming community with no stop lights and a water tower with an American flag painted on it.
Gurtner was single and had a 2-month-old daughter. His mother wears his dog tags and boot camp pin. His grandfather and great-grandfather were in the military.
Gurtner arrived in Kuwait in February.
Van Wert schools Superintendent Cathy Hoffman visited the Wagonrods on Thursday.
"The one thing that was very clear, that they stressed to us, was that Christian was doing exactly what he wanted to do," Hoffman said. "He wanted to fight for the United States."
