TRENTON, Ga. -- Residents remembered 20-year-old U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. William Taylor Richards as a "special" young man who had a passion for his country and his banjo.
Cpl. Richards, a 2008 graduate of Dade County High School, died Saturday in the Helmand province of Afghanistan, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.
Capt. Adrian Ambe, a spokesman for Cpl. Richards' unit, said he could not discuss the circumstances of the corporal's death because of security concerns for the ongoing operations. The news release said he died "as a result of a hostile incident while supporting combat operations."
"It took place in a combat environment," Capt. Ambe said.
The corporal's body was transported Monday to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, according to the Marine Corps.
Cpl. Richards was a squad automatic rifleman, according to the DOD, meaning he handled one of the heavier machine guns for the squad of about 15 Marines.
He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force out of Camp Lejeune, N.C., according to the news release.
He is the first casualty from Dade County since Operation Desert Storm in the early 1990s, according to Bill Lockhart, acting commander of the local American Legion chapter.
To date, 1,143 U.S. servicemen and women have been killed in Afghanistan, according to the nonprofit group iCasualties.org.
Among Cpl. Richards' survivors are his wife, Emily, and an infant daughter.
The family of Cpl. Richards released a statement late Tuesday saying the Marine, known as "Taylor," was "an excellent musician" and a "dedicated father." The statement also said that his commanding officer told family members that Cpl. Richards was "a brave man and a fine Marine."
AREA AFGHANISTAN DEATHS* Marine Corps Lance Cpl. William Taylor Richards, 20, of Trenton, Ga., killed July 26* Lance Cpl. Gregory Posey, 22, of Winchester, Tenn., killed July 30, 2009* Sgt. Raymundo "Ray" Morales, 34, of Dawnville, Ga., killed July 21, 2009* Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Seth Sharp, 20, of Adairsville, Ga., killed July 2, 2009* 1st Sgt. John Blair (Georgia National Guard) of Calhoun, Ga., killed June 20, 2009* Sgt. Jeffery William Jordan, 21, of Cave Spring, Ga., killed June 4, 2009
Linda Wilson, who taught Cpl. Richards in 10th-grade English class, said her former student was a "special kid" and a great banjo player.
"His music was just a big part of his life," said Ms. Wilson, who noted that Cpl. Richards talked about joining the military early in high school.
When she taught him, he had shoulder-length hair but shaved it during his senior year in preparation for enlisting in the Marines, she said.
Mr. Lockhart remembered Cpl. Richards as a mature teenager who was involved in last year's Veterans Day parade.
"We are all volunteer, so that means he volunteered to serve his country," Mr. Lockhart said. "He gave it his all."
Cpl. Richards joined the Marine Corps in September 2008 and was promoted to the rank of lance corporal on Nov. 1, 2009, according to the DOD. He deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in March 2010.
He was awarded the Afghanistan Campaign medal, National Defense Service medal and the Global War on Terrorism service medal.
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