October 06, 2004

Associated Press

DULUTH, Minn. — A Marine from Kettle River, Minn., who was found dead inside a Kuwaiti chapel in March had shot himself, a military investigation has found.
Pfc. Matthew Milczark’s body was found inside a chapel at Camp Victory on March 8 with a single gunshot wound to the head. He was 18.

Lt. Eric Knapp, a Marine Corps spokesman, told the Duluth News-Tribune that investigators have concluded that Milczark committed suicide.

Investigative reports were provided by the Marines to Milczark’s family and won’t be publicly released, Knapp said.

A second investigation into Milczark’s death is being conducted by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Knapp said.

Sherman Liimatainen, Milczark’s old hockey coach, read a prepared statement Tuesday from Milczark’s parents, Greg Milczark and Mary Nordlund, and his stepparents, Linda Milczark and Vern Nordlund, all of Kettle River.

“To now learn the U.S. Marines have ruled the death a self-inflicted wound before all information has been made available to us is devastating,” the family wrote in response to questions from the newspaper.

“With all due respect to the Marines, we will continue to pursue with our congressmen all the information that the U.S. Marine Corps has gathered and which led ... to this determination,” the family wrote.

Milczark was the first of three Marines from Carlton County, Minn., to die this spring during a four-week span.

Like the rest of the family, Milczark’s cousin, Bill Soderlind of Duluth, said he eagerly awaits the results of the second investigation.

“There are all kinds of loose threads out there like that still,” Soderlind said. “He was a very upbeat kid and very positive about the military and being in the military. I don’t know what he did, but it doesn’t all make sense.”