Christopher
Cobb
BRADENTON -
Gripped by agony, Sheila Cobb approached her son one last
time Wednesday.
With one hand on his casket and tears streaming down her face, she
was overcome by grief and collapsed into the arms of two
Marines.
After 19 years of memories - from preschool to prom to Marine Corps
graduation - this was the moment that marked a mother's final
goodbye to her only son.
Pfc. Christopher Cobb, 19, was killed April 6 in
Iraq. Eight men from his unit died that same day doing battle in
Iraq. A member of 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines in
Camp Pendleton,
Calif., Cobb had just been deployed to
Iraq
on Feb. 9.
Hundreds of mourners gathered Wednesday for the funeral at
Bradenton Gospel Tabernacle, the place where Chris was baptized
as an infant.
Inside the east
Bradenton church, members of the Bayshore High orchestra - Chris
once played violin with the group - played melancholy music. A
young girl in the ensemble wept as she played the violin.
Chris Cobb, the first known
Manatee County native to die serving in
Iraq,
gave his life "in the great fight for freedom and the principles
of democracy in Iraq," Pastor John Marlow said.
"He is etched in
Manatee County as one of the sons who gave his life for the
noble cause of defending his country," Marlow said.
"The brutality of war is horrible, and it's being carried into our
living rooms. Daily we see the brutality and cruelty of those
who would seek tyranny rather than freedom, those who seek
terror rather than peace . . .
"Chris saw it firsthand."
An unending string of vehicles led by the car carrying Chris Cobb
then wound through town, stopping at
Manasota Memorial Park where he was buried with full military
honors. Uniformed Marines saluted as the car carrying his casket
drove past them.
On the windy, sunlit morning, his mother cried as a pair of Marines
handed her the Purple Heart medal and a neatly folded flag.
After brief words from the pastor and a rifle salute, a bugler
played the sorrowful sounds of Taps, drawing more tears from
mourners. Even a typically stoic Marine dabbed a tear from his
eye with a white-gloved hand.
"Our nation is in a time of war. There is to be a time of peace,"
Marlow said. "But until that time there are brave soldiers, men
with courage in their hearts who are not afraid of sacrifice."
Geoffrey Dravenstatt, Chris Cobbs' 15-year-old cousin, opened the
service by reading "My Hero," a poem he had written for the
funeral. In the poem, the 10th-grader, who is in Junior ROTC,
said Chris Cobb was "brave, smart, kind, caring."
Before the coffin was lowered into the ground, Dravenstatt folded a
copy of the poem and tossed it into the open grave so it would
be buried with his beloved cousin.
Chris Cobb's aunt, Pam Morris, recalled looking into her nephew's
serious dark eyes and knowing he was destined to accomplish
great things. His passion for the Marine Corps helped him
realize his goal.
"It was a passion that changed him from a boy to a man," she said,
"a passion that made him a hero."
As the crowd thinned to only a few close friends and relatives, a
mourning mother looked up into the eyes of the young Marine who
made the last journey to
Bradenton
with her son.
"Thank you for bringing my Chris home," Sheila Cobb said.
For Staff Sgt. Elijah Packman, it was the first time he had
escorted a fallen Marine's body back home.
"It's one of the hardest things I've ever had to do," said Packman,
who had volunteered for the grim duty. "We get trained, and
we're prepared to deal with the battlefield side of war.
"But they don't really prepare you as much for dealing with the
families on the home front."
Sometimes they say it's never too late, but that's not always true.
It's too late for those of us who didn't know U.S. Marine Corps
Pfc. Chris Cobb to shake his hand and give him thanks for
defending our nation.
It's too late for his mother, Sheila, who I do have the honor of
knowing, to put her arms around her son again.
It's too late for his young cousins, nieces and nephews - some who
are just toddlers - to ever get to know Chris personally.
It's too late for all that, but it will never be too late to honor
Chris.
I, like so many others in this community, I'm sure, regret that we
were never able to meet him and to honor him in life as we pay
tribute to him at the time of his death.
And even though some of us missed the chance to meet Chris - a
dignified, smart, kind and talented young man by all accounts -
there are ways we can honor his memory and express our
appreciation for his sacrifice.
USMC Sgt. Michael Cowen, the recruiter who brought Chris into the
Marines, says he will always carry a constant reminder of Chris'
commitment to the Corps.
"Of all the accolades and all the awards I have to hang on my wall,
the only one I will carry with me every day are Chris' dog tags
from the day he joined," Sgt. Cowen said.
And some day soon Sgt. Cowen might be carrying those dog tags with
him into battle in
Iraq. He is awaiting orders for his next duty station and says
it's likely he will end up at Camp Pendleton, Calif., and
eventually be shipped off to Iraq.
If you don't know someone in the military, there are still ways you
can do your part to say thanks.
Sgt. Cowen suggests going to your local Marine Corps recruiting
office and asking the recruiter how you can help. Some
recruiters will help put you in touch with a Marine or a
Marine's family so you can send the Marine cards, letters and
care packages, he said.
Bradenton Gospel Tabernacle will continue its support of Chris'
family by serving as the collection point for the Christopher
Cobb Memorial Fund.
Family members say they haven't decided what exactly to do with the
money collected, but most likely it will be used to help the
church's school or establish a music scholarship for a student
at Bayshore High, Chris' alma mater, or
Manatee
Community College.
Contributions to the Chris Cobb Memorial Fund can be made c/o
Bradenton Gospel Tabernacle,
1218 Seventh Ave. E., Bradenton, Fla. 34208.
If you do nothing else, take one simple step: next time you see
someone in uniform or a veteran, just stop for a minute and tell
them thanks for serving our great nation.
Wednesday's memorial services marked the end of Chris' life, don't
let it be the end of our efforts to honor him and the legions of
Marines, sailors, soldiers and airmen who made the ultimate
sacrifice before him.
Pfc. Christopher R. Cobb made his final journey home to
Bradenton on Tuesday evening.
At a
Cortez Road
funeral home, hundreds of mourners awaited Chris Cobb, a Marine
killed in action serving in Iraq. His body had arrived in
Tampa shortly after
6
p.m.
Before the visitation began, Sheila Cobb was able to see her only
son one last time, according to Howell Tuten, Chris Cobb's
stepfather.
Family, friends and other supporters filed into Griffith-Cline
Funeral Home, lining up to pay their respects to Sheila Cobb,
Tuten and other family members.
"Be proud of your son. I was so proud of Chris," a distraught
Sheila Cobb said to a fellow Marine mom who approached her.
Christopher Cobb, 19, known as Chris to friends and family, died
April 6 during fighting in the Al Anbar Province of Iraq,
according to the Department of Defense.
He was a member of the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, 1st Marine
Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force,
Camp Pendleton, Calif. The young Marine had been deployed to
Iraq
on Feb. 9. His unit suffered eight fatalities in Ramadi the day
he died, according to Knight Ridder reports.
Uniformed Marines flanked Chris Cobb's flag-draped coffin. Several
veterans took turns standing before the closed coffin and
saluting.
Chris Cobb's funeral with full military honors is scheduled at
10 a.m. today at Bradenton Gospel Tabernacle with burial to follow
at
Manasota
Memorial Park where fellow Marines will carry him to his final
resting place.
Marine Corps Sgt. Michael Cowen, the recruiter who brought Chris
Cobb into the Corps, said Cobb always had the inner strength and
commitment to be a good Marine.
"You could treat him like a Marine even before he was a Marine,"
Cowen said. "He really found me; I didn't find him."
Photos of Chris Cobb were displayed throughout the building so
mourners could see snapshots illustrating his life.
People could see how he went from being a newborn in his father's
arms and a pre-schooler in a sailor suit to a teenager going to
prom and later proud Marine outside Boot Camp graduation. In one
photo Chris cradles a violin in his arms. Just months later
another photo reflects how he traded in his instrument for a
rifle when he became a Marine.
In the far corner of the room, images of Chris set to music
flickered on a television screen and on a table sat a photo
album filled with family snapshots.
Dozens of floral wreaths and bouquets were set throughout the
funeral home. Individuals and groups from
Daughtrey Elementary School, where Christopher went to school
once, to Saddle Creek Apartments, where his family lives, sent
the arrangements to honor the fallen Marine.
Irina Kouchnir, the mother of a fellow Marine, Cpl. Eugene Kouchnir,
sat stoically in the funeral chapel after offering her
condolences to Sheila Cobb. She reflected on the challenges and
rewards of being the mother of a Marine.
"It takes a lot of strength to be a mother, but there is a reward
to this - watching your child growing. It takes even more
strength to be a mother of a Marine or a soldier, but there is a
reward to this: pride for your child who has chosen a very
glorious path - to defend his country, us."
Eugene Kouchnir, 18, attended
Bayshore High School with Chris Cobb and they, along with a
couple of other friends, joined the Marines together. A member
of the 2nd Marine Division, Eugene Kouchnir also is in Iraq.
Irina Kouchnir said she has not heard from her son in weeks. On
Monday she received a letter from him dated March 27, she said
Born in
Sarasota,
January 1, 1985, he was a lifelong resident of
Manatee County. He attended Bradenton Gospel Tabernacle. He
served in the U.S. Marine Corps in Iraq. He was a graduate of
Bayshore High School, where he played violin in the school
orchestra. He was a member of American Legion Oneco Post 312.
Survivors include sister, Kelly Krueger of Myakka, Fla.;
step-sister, Rita Blumenberg of Raleigh, N.C.; step-brothers,
Jim Tuten of Brandon, Fla., and Timothy Tuten of Bradenton;
mother and step-father, Sheila Cobb and Howell Tuten Sr.; and
maternal grandmother, Mildred Dravenstadt of Bradenton.
Memorial contributions may be made to Christopher Cobb Memorial
Fund, c/o Bradenton Gospel Tabernacle,
1218 7th Ave. E. Bradenton, Fla. 34208.
