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<< Previous   of   Next >> (click to enlarge) (click to enlarge)   ADVERTISEMENT   Related Stories • Cody Calavan   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Wednesday, June 2, 2004 Stanwood family loses son in Iraq Despite family tragedies, he chose hazardous duty By Katherine Schiffner / Herald Writer STANWOOD - Cody Calavan could have avoided the danger. The U.S. Marine Corps machine gunner could have told the military his family had suffered too much for him to go to Iraq. His mother died of breast cancer in 1997, and his younger brother Joey, 15, was killed by a drunken driver only nine months ago. Under military rules, Calavan, 19, could have turned down the Iraq assignment because he was the sole surviving son. But Calavan, who'd had "Semper Fidelis" tattooed across his shoulders after graduating from boot camp, "wanted to stick with the guys he'd trained with," said stepsister Kalee Calavan Craig, 23, of Marysville. "He believed there was a price for freedom ... he didn't even consider not going." His family "respected his decision," Calavan Craig said. "We all felt like it would be OK; he would be OK. We didn't think we could handle losing another one." Calavan's family learned Saturday that he'd died in an explosion in Al Anbar province in Iraq. Few details were known about the explosion Tuesday, except that two other Marines had been killed and that Calavan died after receiving medical treatment, his family said. The U.S. Department of Defense would only say that Calavan, who'd left for Iraq in February, was killed in "hostile action." Calavan was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, based in Camp Pendleton, Calif. As of Tuesday, 806 U.S. service members have died since the beginning of military operations in Iraq last year. Calavan was the second serviceman from Snohomish County to be killed in Iraq. Justin W. Hebert of Silvana died Aug. 1 when a rocket-propelled grenade hit the Humvee he was driving. He was 20. Also killed in Iraq was Mariner High School graduate Todd Drobnick, 35, who worked for San Diego, Calif., defense contractor Titan Corp. Calavan, who'd joined the Marines in June 2003 after graduating from Lake Stevens High School, strongly supported the war in Iraq, said his father, David Calavan. "He believed this was a war that needed to be fought," said David Calavan, who talked to his son a week before he died. "He wasn't sorry he joined up, to the end." His older son's death is easier to accept than the Aug. 29 crash that killed Joey, their father said. "This one is easier because it was a choice. It was something that needed to be done; we both felt that. He paid a price we knew he could have," David Calavan said. Cody Calavan was considering going to college and becoming a police officer after he finished his military service, his father said. He expected to come home for a break in September or October. "We continually prayed for him," stepmother Pam Calavan said. "We were all very proud of him." Calavan told his family he'd seen some intense fighting, including a close call in Ramadi, Iraq, on April 6 when 13 Marines he went on patrol with died in an attack there. Calavan got a bullet hole in his pocket, but wasn't hurt. "He prayed hard that night," said Kalee Calavan Craig, who'd sent him a Marine Corps Bible. His family, who gathered at Calavan's parents' home in Stanwood on Tuesday, said Calavan loved to tease his family. "He had a great sense of humor," stepbrother Chris Craig said. Calavan also enjoyed wrestling, soccer, his car and watching movies - he even brought his DVD player to Iraq. But he always put his friends and family first, they said. "He had a huge heart; he would have helped anybody," Calavan Craig said. The last time she spoke with him was a month before he died. "I told him he needs to hurry up and come home safe," Calavan Craig said. "Because I didn't want to lose another brother." A memorial service had not been scheduled as of Tuesday. Reporter Katherine Schiffner: 425-339-3436 or schiffner@heraldnet.com.

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