Service honors Pendleton Marine killed in Iraq last month

By: JOE BECK - Staff Writer

CAMP PENDLETON ---- Marine Capt. Kevin Kryst's job was to fly helicopters protecting Marines on the ground in Iraq. On Friday, a memorial service for Kryst at Camp Pendleton's chapel ended in a stark tribute to his work.
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A somber crowd of 300 friends, family members, Marines and sailors had just finished filing out of the chapel and were gathering on the lawn when four AH-1W Super Cobra helicopters rose into the raw wind about a mile to the southwest.

Some of the mourners shielded their eyes against the sun to get a better look at the approaching Cobras. As they flew over the crowd, one of the helicopters broke off and continued flying in a more northerly direction.

The other three remained on course in what was now a "missing man" formation, signifying the death of a military aviator.

Kryst died on Dec. 18 from hostile fire at the Marine Corps' Camp Korean Village in Iraq's Anbar province, according to officials. Sgt. Jesse Lora, a spokesman for Camp Pendleton, said the circumstances of Kryst's death remain under investigation.

A Wisconsin newspaper quoted Elizabeth Kryst, Kevin Kryst's mother, as saying Marine officials told her he suffered abdominal injuries during a mortar attack and was not in a helicopter.

Elizabeth Kryst of West Bend, Wis., said after the service that her son never shot a gun before joining the military. He took an interest in flying helicopters after a flight while he was a civilian.

He joined the Marines as a second lieutenant after graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2001 with a degree in kinesiology, the science of human muscular movements.

Kevin Kryst was happier as a helicopter pilot than many other people his age who find themselves trapped in dead-end jobs, his mother said.

"He died doing what he wanted to do; you can't fault him for that," she said.

She said he fulfilled his parents' instructions to him when he was growing up to stay on friendly terms with everybody.

"There wasn't a single person Kevin didn't get along with. He made every job his job," his mother said.

Kryst's fiancee, who identified herself only as Sara from West Bend, said they were engaged on Sept. 9, and that she saw him for the last time five days later as he got ready to deploy to Iraq.

"I've lost my future, my hope, my dreams," she said.

Kryst was a member of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit based at Camp Pendleton. The unit's Web site describes its mission in Iraq as providing security to Anbar province, an area bordering Jordan, Syria and Saudi Arabia. Anbar has been one of the most violent parts of Iraq.

At Friday's ceremony on Camp Pendleton, the inside of the chapel was simply decorated, the only adornments a color picture of a smiling Kryst seated in a helicopter cockpit, a sketch of one of the helicopters he flew and a wreath displayed in front of the pews. Before the service, slides of Kryst in and out of uniform, at ease and on duty, were flashed on a screen.

Several members of his unit delivered eulogies, remembering him with fondness and humor. Capt. Travis Patterson recalled a golf outing at Camp Pendleton that ended with an overturned cart.

"I know Kevin wouldn't want us to mope around and dwell on the past," Patterson said.

Capt. Doug Campbell described Kryst as a "very motivated, very thorough, hardworking individual" but also someone of great generosity and warmth.

"There was always his open invitation to come over and hang out at any time,' Campbell said.

None of the speakers mentioned President Bush's announcement of an increase in American military forces in Iraq, but Kryst's parents said after the service that they supported the war and Bush's handling of it. Glenn Kryst said his son sometimes talked frankly about the possibility that he could be killed.

"He was very proud of what they were doing, and there was still purpose to what they were doing," Elizabeth Kryst said.

Sara, Kryst's fiancee, said he discussed the hazards of his job with her, but his death still came as a shock. She said she opposed the war and hoped it would end soon.

"Given what we're going through right now, I would not want any other families doing this," she said.

Contact staff writer Joe Beck at (760) 740-3516 or jbeck@nctimes.com.

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/01/13/military/4_77_421_12_07.prt