His memorial service will be held in Chinook, date unannounced, and his burial will be in Dodson
MISSOULA (AP) A Marine from Montana was killed in Iraq over the weekend when a sniper attacked his vehicle, family members said Tuesday. Chinook High School graduate Jeremy S. Sandvick Monroe, 20, a lance corporal with the 2/3 Echo Company 4th Platoon, was one of three Marines killed in action in the western province of Anbar. He was serving his second tour of duty in Iraq. Monroe was the son of Monte Monroe of Darby and Mellissa Pike of Chinook. He lived in Darby as a child and moved to Chinook at age 14 to be with his mother. His family received word of his death Sunday night when two Marines knocked on the door. “You knew damn good and well what it meant,” Monte Monroe told The Missoulian. The Marines relayed that Monroe had been caught by a sniper Sunday, was shot in the head and died instantly, Monte Monroe said. “He was such a fine young man,” he said. “He’s my hero.” Monte Monroe described his son as a fun-loving person who loved to play rock music on his guitar. “He was a wonderful musician. His guitar was like one of his best buddies,” Monte said, adding that his son also loved the mountains and camping. Jeremy Monroe knew he wanted to defend his country and enlisted in the Marine Corps right out of high school, his father said. On his last trip home in August, Jeremy laid out his burial plans just in case, Monte Monroe said. But he didn’t want to believe it would happen, he said. The family plans to hold a memorial service in Chinook with burial farther east in Dodson, “where he wanted to be buried,” Monte Monroe said. At a barbecue get-together in August, several people came up and shook Jeremy’s hand, telling him over and over how proud of him they were, Monte Monroe said. “He said, Dad, that there means more to me than anything,’” Monte said. “I don’t know if people out there know how much it means to go up to them (the soldiers) and show your appreciation. I’m proud of all of them.”
