Gold Star Mother: Debbie Lee

by Gold Star Mothers

A Mighty Warrior Willingly Sacrifices His Life

Aug 2, 2006, would be a day that would completely change my life forever. On that dreadful day I heard the disparaging words, “We’re sorry to inform you that your son Marc Alan Lee was killed in action in Iraq.”  Just typing those words now brings me to tears. I would learn in the hours that followed of the heroic actions of my son and that he chose to sacrifice his life so that others could live.


Petty Officer 2nd Class Marc A. Lee

Marc was the first Navy SEAL killed in Iraq. As a mother you would love for your child to aspire to many firsts. The first man on the moon, the first doctor to transplant a heart, the first man to fly, but not the first SEAL to give his life defending his buddies in Iraq. Yet I am just as proud of him as I would be for any other first he may have accomplished. I miss him very deeply, but it gives me great comfort knowing he gave his life because he valued others lives as more important than his own. 

Marc was deployed to Ramadi, Iraq in April of 2006. The guys called it, “The worst piece of real estate in Iraq” or “The hellhole of Iraq.”

They had been in the biggest battle in Iraq up to that point. Marc was up on a rooftop with three other SEALs when his buddy, Ryan, sustained severe shrapnel injuries to the head. They could tell by looking at Ryan that it was serious. Unfortunately, they didn’t have a medic on the rooftop with them. Two of the SEAL’s dropped to their knees to help Ryan. Marc could have made that same choice. He could have stayed below the protective barrier of the cement walls on the rooftop and then he probably would be here with me today, but this was a young man who valued other people’s lives as more important than his own. I know that Marc didn’t weigh the pros and cons of his decision. He just knew it was the right thing to do, so Marc stood up into the direct line of fire to draw fire to himself and provide cover so that the medic could get up to the rooftop.

The medic successfully got up to the rooftop, evaluated the situation, and determined that they needed to get Ryan out of there immediately or there was no chance for survival. So not once, but a second time Marc stood up into the direct line of fire so that everyone could get down off of the roof. They all successfully got down from the roof and returned to the base. I’m proud to tell you that that base has been named “Camp Marc Lee” in his honor.

The chief came in and said they had found thirty of the insurgents who had just attacked them. Were they up to going back out? Remember this is August 2, the temperatures are 115-120 degrees. They had just been in an intense two-hour battle. They are hot and sweaty. Marc carried the big gun and with the weapon, ammo and back pack he carried this added anywhere from 150-180 pounds in addition to his weight of 200 pounds. I can’t imagine carrying just my own weight in that intense heat while running and fighting for two hours, let alone 350-380 lbs. They’ve just seen their buddy severely wounded and are not sure if he will survive. They have to be exhausted, emotionally and physically. Yet these are warriors. “The elite of the elite,” as the President told me.

Marc looked at his chief and said, “Roger that. Let’s go get ‘em.” They went back into Ramadi and were doing house to house clearing. They had cleared several houses and went into the last house that Marc would ever be in. They cleared the bottom of the house and started to go upstairs. Marc was not an officer but he was a leader and he chose to lead the guys up the stairs. As they went up the stairs they took fire through a window, and for the last and final time Marc turned into the fire and willingly gave his life. He didn’t just do that to defend his buddies, he did that for you, for me, and for this nation that he so loved.

Marc’s name means “Mighty Warrior” and he definitely lived up to his name. He is a hero! His head stone says “Loved deeply, deeply loved.”

John 15:13: “Greater love has no man than this that he lay down his life for his friends.”


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Posted Jun 25th 2009 at 8:03 pm in Featured Story, Military | No Comments