Lance Cpl. Eric L. Ward

 Lance Cpl. Eric L. Ward, 19, of Redmond, Wash., died Feb. 21 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.  He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
 

By Brian Rosenthal Seattle Times staff reporter

Friends and family described Eric L. Ward, a 19-year-old Marine from Redmond who died Sunday in Afghanistan, as a proud and generous man who kept everybody around him laughing. Lance Cpl. Ward died in a "hostile incident" in southern Afghanistan, the U.S. Department of Defense announced Tuesday. A machine-gunner, he was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force at Base Camp Lejeune, N.C. "He was always the person to make you laugh no matter what happened," said Trey Hoover, 19, a fellow Marine who was Ward's roommate in Afghanistan. "No matter what happened, where we were at, even if we were sleeping in the field getting a torrential downpour rained on us, he'd always make it funny." Besides his humor, Lance Cpl. Ward was known for his athletic talent and unusual generosity, said his father, Steven Ward. Every year while he was a student at Snoqualmie Valley Public Schools, Eric Ward would buy extra sets of school supplies to give to those who were less fortunate. .

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Marine Saluting Courtesy Sgt Michal S. Williams

A fourth-generation Marine, Lance Cpl. Ward had dreamed of joining the Corps from an early age, his father said. "He was a natural leader," said Steven Ward, 48. "He was proud to serve. He was proud for his family. He was strong." Eric Ward joined the Marines in July 2008. He deployed to Afghanistan in October and was promoted to the rank of lance corporal last month