Three Columbia residents killed in Iraq in three years
Sunday marked the third anniversary of combat in Iraq. Three Columbia residents have been killed in action in Iraq since the war began, and two had ties to MU.
Published March 21, 2006
Coalition forces led by the United States military began the invasion of Iraq three years ago on Sunday. Since March 2003, 38 soldiers from Missouri have died in Iraq, and three of those soldiers were from Columbia.
Most recently, Capt. Michael R. Martinez, 43, was killed in Iraq Jan. 7.
In 2005, 1st Lt. William A. Edens, 29, was killed in Iraq on April 28.
According to williamedensmemorial.com, Edens graduated from MU in May 2003 and was a member of the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC).
On June 6, 2004, Army Sgt. Melvin Mora was killed in Iraq at age 27. He was a student at MU who was in the Army Reserves to help pay for college, said Angela Speck, an MU physics professor who taught and advised Mora.
"He was someone who was most definitely keen to learn," Speck said. "What he really wanted to do in life was to work in public outreach of science, like museum work or something like that. He was very passionate about helping people understand science."
Mora was scheduled to do research under Speck's supervision before he was sent for training, Speck said.
They already had done research that they were going to present at a conference during the time he was in training.
Speck said undergraduate students in the physics department have been raising funds for an endowed scholarship in Mora's memory.
Doug Miller, the manager of the University Place apartments, said he met Mora as a tenant, and Mora later worked for him as a desk attendant.
"He was a great guy," Miller said. "He was always there to help and was willing to do about anything for anybody and lend a helping hand."
MU spokesman Christian Basi said students leaving for Iraq have some options as to how to deal with leaving the university.
There is the option to simply drop classes and leave, in which case the university does not ask the reason the student is leaving. Another option is for the student to enter an agreement with the professor to finish work early if enough work for the semester has already been done. The student also could take "incompletes" in his or her classes.
Family members and friends of Martinez and Edens could not be reached for contact.