Nicholas W. Bloem
 |
| Age: |
|
20 |
| Hometown: |
Belgrade, MT |
| Date of Death: |
8/03/05 |
| Incident Location: |
Haditha, Iraq |
| Branch of Military: |
|
Marine |
| Rank: |
Lance Cpl. |
| Unit: |
4th Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve |
| Unit's Base: |
Belgrade, MT |
|
Nicholas Bloem didn't hide his future career goal. During his first
conversation with his high-school sweetheart, he told her he wanted to
be a Marine. "It was definitely his calling in life. I don't think he
could have asked for a better way to die," said Kacie Ouano. Bloem,
20, of Belgrade, Mont., died Aug. 3 when his vehicle was hit by an
explosive south of Haditha. He was based at Billings. Bloem graduated
high school in 2003, moving to Montana with his family from Bellevue,
Wash., just before his senior year. He wanted to enroll at Montana
State University in Bozeman. His dream was to rise to the top of the
command chain as an officer in the Marine Corps. "It appealed to that
part of him that wanted to overcome something that was seemingly
insurmountable," said his father, Al Bloem. His father said Bloem had
been excited about joining the military and chose the Marines because
"he wanted the hardest and he wanted the best." He joined in July
2003. "I was proud and he was beaming from ear to ear," he said. He
also is survived by his mother, Debbie.