Prosser Marine Dies in Iraq

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Published on Tuesday, June 22, 2004

Prosser Marine Dies in Iraq
BY LIA STEAKLEY
YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC

BRIAN FITZGERALD/Yakima Herald-Republic
Shelly Best, 29, of Prosser hugs a family friend, Chad Smith, 33, in the kitchen of her home the day after being notified of her husband Martin's death in Iraq.
PROSSER ? Shelly Best was visiting her parents Saturday night when a group of Marines arrived with word that her husband had been killed in an explosion in Iraq's Al Anbar Province.

"I got down on my knees and just started sobbing," Best recalled Monday at her parents' home as she opened cards from friends and family.

At age 33, Sgt. Marvin Best of Prosser becomes the second Yakima Valley resident killed in Iraq since the invasion last year.

"He used to say, 'Don't be concerned about me until you see those Marines get out of the car.' I saw those white hats and I went ballistic. I knew what was happening," his mother, Charlotte Best, said Monday.

Best, who enlisted shortly after graduating from Prosser High School in 1989, was remembered as a proud Marine with an easy smile.

His family is awaiting further details from the Marines, but a community memorial is tentatively planned for Monday at Prosser High.

"It's going to be a very grand service, a full military honor. Everything he could have ever imagined," said Shelly Best.

Best was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif. He was deployed on Feb. 12. He was expected to arrive back home in September. Instead, he died nearly a month before his 34th birthday.

His is the second death of a Yakima Valley service man in Iraq in as many months. Dustin Sides, a 22-year-old lance corporal from Yakima, died of injuries suffered during an ambush as he was returning from a mission to Fallujah in late May.

Until Saturday night, Best's parents, William and Charlotte Best, had not heard any news from their son in several weeks. Worried because he typically contacted family members every two weeks, his mother was about to send him an e-mail. But her plan was interrupted when a car pulled into her driveway at 11:15 on Saturday night.

Hope Seymer, a close friend of Shelly Best and her family, said that Marvin's diminished correspondence also alarmed his wife.

"Shelly and I talk on a daily basis, and she had become concerned. She called me at 1:30 a.m. on Saturday and said, 'Marvin's dead.' I dropped the phone and ran to her parents' house," Seymer said.

News of Best's death traveled quickly through Prosser.

Prosser Mayor Linda Lusk said people had been calling constantly offering their condolences and services to the Best family.

"Prosser has lost of one its hometown boys to the war, and the reality and shock is much harder when you know the person," Lusk said.

At Keno's Kafe and Lounge on Sixth Street, employee Karen Ward said Best's death had bridged the gap between events in Iraq and her small community.

"It's one thing to sit and watch the war on the news, but until it hits close to home you don't realize how serious it is," said Ward, who attended high school with Best.

The mood was somber at Prosser High School among the few staff members working Monday, said principal Kevin Lusk. He called Best's death "an incredible loss" for the community.

At Prosser High, Best competed in track and was active in Future Farmers of America. He also competed in rodeo events where Prosser High School teacher Rick Adams said "he was fearless." Friends and family said Best dreamed of being a Marine since childhood.

Chad Smith, who grew up next door to Best and ran track with him during high school, remembered when he decided to enlist.

"He always wanted to be a Marine. He just had that drive and attitude of a hard-core Marine. I don't think he was afraid of anything. I remember him saying that if he couldn't go to war, then it would be like practicing for football and not being able to play in the game," said Smith.

Best re-enlisted in 1995, against his wife's wishes.

"He re-enlisted every single time. I always wanted him to get out. But I told him, 'Do what you have to do,'" said his wife.

Best last spoke with her husband in April.

"I remember him saying, 'I love you, bug.' That's what he called me."

__________________________________________________
Published on Thursday, June 24, 2004


Funeral Tuesday for Slain Marine


PROSSER ? A funeral for Marvin Best, the 33-year-old Prosser Marine killed in Iraq, will be Tuesday morning at Prosser High School.

The service, open to the public, will take place at 10 a.m. in the gymnasium. The Marine Corps requests that all attendees be seated in the gym by 9:50 a.m. Those arriving after that time will not be admitted. The school is at 1203 Prosser Ave.

School parking lots and other nearby parking will be restricted to family and members of the military. Public parking will be available at Art Fiker Stadium on Paterson Road and at Depot Square at the intersection of Seventh Street and Bennett Avenue.

Condolences can be sent to Prosser Funeral Home, 1220 Sheridan Ave., Prosser, WA 99350, and messages to the family can be e-mailed to prosser
chapel@bentonrea.com

Best died last weekend in an explosion in Iraq's Al Anbar Province. He is the second Yakima Valley resident killed in Iraq since the invasion last year. Dustin Sides, a 22-year-old lance corporal from Yakima, died in late May of injuries suffered during an ambush as he was returning from a mission to Fallujah.

[darrels joy]

Published on Tuesday, June 29, 2004

Marine's Memorial Scheduled for Today
By LIA STEAKLEY
YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC


PROSSER ? Today, Staff Sgt. Marvin Best returns home.

Sixteen hundred people are expected to honor Best with a memorial service in the Prosser High School gym that will include speeches from Prosser Fire Chief Doug Merritt and Best's fellow Marines.

After 15 years of service, Best was killed in an explosion June 19 in Iraq's Al Anbar Province. His father, William Best, said his son died when the Humvee he was riding in hit a land mine and exploded. Doctors tried to save Best for two hours. He was one of several Marines in the Humvee, but was the only fatality.

Best is the war's second Yakima Valley casualty. Lance Corp. Dustin Sides, 22, from Yakima, died in May of injuries suffered in an ambush as he was returning from a mission in Fallujah.

Two Prosser police cars will escort Best's remains from Yakima today. When the procession reaches Prosser, it will travel down Wine Country Road and turn onto Seventh Street before arriving at the high school at 10 a.m. The Marines request all attendees be seated in the gym by 9:50 a.m.

ACES, an organization that supports military veterans, and members of the public, is lining Seventh Street with people and flags.

Those choosing to honor Best from the street will not be allowed in the high school gym because they will not have time to find a seat before 9:50 a.m.

Marine Chaplain Darryl Bigger will open the memorial with a prayer. United Methodist Church Pastor Gary Wolfer, who performed the marriage ceremony for Best and his wife, Shelly, five years ago, and Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Bishop Robert Wilson, who baptized Best, will share their memories.

Prosser Mayor Linda Lusk and Best's close friend, Gunnery Sgt. Armando Tavares, will also speak. A reception for family and friends will be held after the service at the United Methodist Church at 824 Sixth St. in Prosser. A family member said the reception will be open to about 200 people or as many as the church hall can hold. Efforts will be made to turn no one away.

Best will be inurned during a private ceremony at a later date at East Prosser Cemetery.

[darrels joy]

Published on Wednesday, June 30, 2004

A Final Salute
By LIA STEAKLEY
YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC

PROSSER ? The one thing friends and family remember the most about Staff Sgt. Marvin Best was his smile.

"Marvin was a charmer. He had an engaging personality and a smile that warmed the hearts of everyone around him," close friend Dave Walker told some 1,500 people attending one of the largest memorials in Prosser history on Tuesday.

Family, friends, fellow Marines and community members filled the Prosser High School gym, smiling, laughing and crying as they said goodbye to 33-year-old Best, the second Yakima Valley serviceman to be killed in Iraq.

Before the service, hundreds, many dressed in red, white and blue, quietly lined Seventh Street awaiting the funeral procession. They waved flags and homemade signs containing Best's picture and phrases such as "We Love You, Marvin."

Among them was Terry Castillo, who wiped tears from her eyes and said, "It hits close to home." Her son, Carlos Tapia, served in Iraq with Best. When she learned of Best's death, she phoned her son at a California Marine base to deliver the news.

"My son said (Best) was always there to help you out. Just because he was a higher up, he didn't look down on anyone ? he always tried to help."

Tapia couldn't come to the services but asked his mom to attend instead.

Businesses and light poles along Seventh Street and Meade Avenue were decorated with pairs of American flags. Two Prosser fire trucks were parked near the high school, a large American flag stretched between their extended ladders.

While awaiting the procession, 4-year-old Alexandria Veloz handed other children small American flags left over from a school assembly.

"She gave them away because she said this is a good way to say goodbye," said Sue Schroeder, Alexandria's grandmother.

Inside the gym several speakers, including Mayor Linda Lusk, United Methodist Church Pastor Gary Wolfer and Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Bishop Robert Wilson took the stage awaiting arrival of Best's casket.

A deep silence marked the crowd. The only sounds were the flapping of programs as attendees fanned themselves and the faint shuffle of feet on the wooden bleachers. The moment a corner of the casket rolled around the doorway of the gym, the crowd immediately rose to its feet.

As the casket was laid on the stage, hands dove into pockets and purses searching for tissues. Quiet sniffling could be heard.

U.S. Marine Rear Adm. Darold Bigger welcomed the audience, telling about Best's distinguished military career. Bigger choked back tears as he reminded friends and family about the circumstances surrounding Best's death.

Best was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, in Twentynine Palms, Calif. He was deployed on Feb. 12 and was scheduled to return home in September. Instead, he died in Iraq's Al Anbar Province when the Humvee he was riding in hit a landmine and exploded.

He was married to Shelly Best, 29, a dance instructor at Meredith's School of Dance in Buena. The two met on a blind date. "I just knew (he was the one)," she recalled last week after learning of his death. The couple married on April 24, 1999, but did not have any children.

Marvin's father, William, said his son was "born to be a Marine." William and Marvin's mother, Charlotte, moved to Prosser in the mid-1970s to raise their only son and his sister, Lornna Nunez.

Shelly's father, Roger Bates said "Marvin was a Marine to the core." Bates and his wife, Doris Bates, also live in Prosser.

Best is the second Yakima Valley Maine to die in Iraq in as many months. Dustin Sides, a 22-year-old lance corporal from Yakima, died of injuries after an ambush while returning from a mission in Fallujah in late May.


Best graduated from Prosser High School in 1989 and entered the Marine Corps on June 7 of the same year. For a service man often stationed in far away countries, Marvin was well known in the community. Many people in the audience knew Best personally whether they attended school with him, played sports with him or got to know him around town. For part of his career, Best was a recruiter based in Kennewick and he frequently visited Prosser to recruit at the high school.

Zillah resident Kathy Eims knows Shelly Best from Meredith's School of Dance in Buena, where Shelly teaches. She said came to the service to show her support.

"I wanted to show my support because he put his life on the line for our freedom," she said.

Tim Aunt, who was in 4-H with Best, and Scott Cromar, who knew Best from school, both came to support Best's family and honor his achievements.

Many of Best's classmates wore buttons that said "We Love You, Martin" and "Class of '89" printed on them.

During the service, Mayor Lusk read a proclamation declaring June 29, 2004, Marvin Best Day.

"Marvin Best is a tribute to all that is good in our small town. He represents loyalty, dignity, honor and strength," said Lusk. "The war on terror has struck home...the price of freedom is dear."


Many of Best's fellow Marines were present to share stories about a man who loved to live life and inspired others.

Sgt. Andy Brim was recruited by Best. He said Best didn't rely on glitzy sales pitches or promises of college tuition.

"It was him. His energy and enthusiasm. We couldn't sign up fast enough," said Brim.

Josh Aman, who was also recruited by Best, read a poem he wrote about Best embodying the true warrior spirit.

"We love you and we thank you for all that you have done for us," Aman said as he closed his speech.

Gunnery Sgt. Armando Tavares, who traveled from San Diego to attend the service, recalled a day at the movies when he and Best were kicked out of the theater because they were laughing too loud.

"Marvin loved to laugh. Hearing him laugh only made me laugh that much harder, and it got so out of hand we were asked to leave," he said. When Tavares called on the audience's current and former Marines to give Best one last "hurrah," a booming sound shot through the gym.

When Best recruited in Prosser, he often used the conference room in the Prosser Fire Department as a meeting room. That's when Prosser Fire Chief Doug Merritt got to know Best.

Merritt recalled a time after Best's 30th birthday party when Best went driving around town in his jeep with friends.

"He pulled up smoking a cigar and I thought, 'Heaven help us, the Marines have landed.' Merritt recalled. "He had that smile on his face and that glint in his eye."

Best will be inured during a private ceremony at a later date at East Prosser Cemetery.


n Reporter Lia Steakley can be reached by phone at 837-6111, or by e-mail at lsteakley@yakima-herald.com


GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic
Shelly Best, Marvin Best's widow, is presented with the American flag that had covered his casket at the memorial service. Marine Capt. Brian Lewis presents the flag to Best.

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GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic
Shelly Best, Marvin Best's widow, is presented with the American flag that had covered his casket at the memorial service. Marine Capt. Brian Lewis presents the flag to Best.

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HILLARY WHEAT/Yakima Herald-Republic
Terry Castillo, far left, from the Tri-Cities, joins a group of friends and strangers who lined the steets of Prosser all the way up to the high school. Castillo came out to support the family of Marine Staff Sgt. Marvin Best, who served with her son as a scout sniper.

[darrels joy]

HILLARY WHEAT/Yakima Herald-Republic
Jim Walters, a veteran of the Korean War, stands along the procession route honoring Marine Staff Sgt. Marvin Best.