Freedom Remembered

Born: June 7, 1985
Died: January 1, 2005 in Hadithah, Iraq

Lance Cpl. Brian P. Parrello of West Milford, New Jersey attended West Milford High School where he played football. But he is probably best remembered for playing ice hockey. Brian was an athlete since childhood, playing Little League baseball and then football and hockey. He talked about his desire to go to college and become a history teacher, but he also talked about joining the Marines ever since he was in the eighth grade. The September 11th terrorist attacks made up his mind. Brian figured he could serve his country as a Marine and then come back home for his education and pursue a career as a history teacher. He knew then he would probably be shipped overseas if he joined, but he didn’t care. He wanted to do this. Brian enlisted while a senior, understanding full well the danger that lay ahead. Brian possessed a strong desire to excel in whatever he did. He always had a tremendous attitude and spirit, and he undoubtedly brought that attitude to the Marines.
He enlisted in February of 2003 and began active duty September 22, 2003, three months after his high school graduation. Brian was killed at age 19 by enemy action in Anbar province, Iraq. Brian is the son of Nino and Shirley, brother of Matthew and Anthony and Grandson of Shirley and James Breen. The West Milford Post Office was dedicated to Lance Cpl. Brian P. Parello on October 28, 2005.

Marines
Small Craft Company
Headquarters Battalion
2nd Marine Division
II Marine Expeditionary Force
Camp Lejeune, North Carolina

Burial is at St. Joseph’s Cemetery in West Milford, New Jersey

The Lance Cpl Brian Patrick Parrello by Freedom Remembered, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.