LCpl Cody G. Watson

2nd Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force
US Marine Corps

LCpl Watson's Act of Heroism

While in Iraq, stationed in Camp Fallujah, his platoon was called to formation to be told of a Major''s death earlier in the day. According to one of Cody''s buddies he had not been feeling well during the day and felt a little dizzy. As the platoon gathered waiting on their sergeant, Cody collapsed and died. According to the autopsy, Cody had a congenital heart defect in the "pace maker" region where blood flow stopped. Cody died of "sudden cardiac arrhythmia." All efforts to revive him failed. God needed him more than us or the Marines.

My Hero

Cody was SO proud to be a Marine. I spent many hours trying to convince him to enter another branch of service but he said, "If I''m going in, I''m going into the best." I''ve never known him to be so proud of himself as he was to be a Marine. We consider Cody an American Hero because he first volunteered to go to Iraq as soon as he got to his first station - Camp Lejeune; second he was the 50cal gunner on the scout vechicle of the convoy which protected the other men in the convoy. He once told his dad that when he got up on that truck and behind his gun he felt like he could walk on water. He loved being a Marine and loved his job!