Mourners remember Crownsville Marine who died in Iraq
Cpl. Justin James Watts, 20, was a Marines' Marine, say the men who served with him. The weather never got so hot, nor the packs so heavy, that the Crownsville man wouldn't volunteer to help buddies who became exhausted.
http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2006/01_24-27/TOP
By EARL KELLY, Staff Writer
Cpl. Watts served two tours of duty in Iraq. Lance Cpl. Angel Millan, of Staten Island, N.Y., went through boot camp with Cpl. Watts at Parris Island, S.C., and called him one of his best friends, served with him during his first tour, when they both manned heavy machine guns.
Cpl. Watts didn't finish his second tour. The 2003 graduate of Old Mill High School and well-known athlete died on Jan. 14 of what the Department of Defense described as non-hostile gunfire.
"I would go to the depths of hell with that man because I would know that he had my back (covered)," Cpl. Millan told the overflow crowd of mourners yesterday at the Robert E. Evans Funeral Home in Bowie.
Yesterday's 300 or so mourners included not just Marine Corps buddies, but also Cpl. Watts' elementary school teachers and high school friends.
"We taught him a lot about love, and I guess it showed," James Watts, Cpl. Watts' father, said at the reception following burial at the Maryland Veterans Cemetery in Crownsville.
Mr. Watts said his son called him from Iraq, whenever a phone was available. He always sounded upbeat and happy.
"The calls came about 3 a.m., but we didn't care. We were always just glad to hear from him," Mr. Watts said.
Some of Cpl. Watts' old friends from high school were overcome during the service and had to step outside to regain their composure. One of them was Sarah Jennings of Annapolis.
"Everybody loved him to death," Ms. Jennings said. "He always put a smile on everybody's face."
A competitive swimmer and lacrosse player who enjoyed racing BMX bikes, Cpl. Watts attended events such as Ms. Jennings' volleyball games, just to cheer on the team.
"He was an awesome kid," she said.
Ms. Jennings said she had to step outside because the funeral became too nerve-racking.
"I have a lot of friends in the military - there may be more (deaths) and it hurts. I don't need to see that," she said.
In the crowd of mourners who went to the cemetery were Rick and Linda Wiles of Millersville - she taught Cpl. Watts in second grade, and he taught him physical education in elementary school.
Mrs. Wiles remembers when Cpl. Watts, who had two older sisters and whose mother volunteered at the school, visited her classroom as a toddler. He liked to wear a police officer's cap she had on hand.
"I called him Chief Watts," Mrs. Wiles said laughing as she recalled the memory. "He was just a nice young man. He had charisma."
The details of Cpl. Watts' death remains unknown, Mr. Watts said.
"They've not told us anything, except it's still under investigation," Mr. Watts said.
Cpl. Watts was found dead at a forward operating base in Haditha, Iraq, according to the Department of Defense. A Marine Corps spokesman said yesterday that no additional details were available.
Cpl. Watts joined the Marines in September 2003.
He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton, Calif. His unit was attached to the 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Blake Sutherland Jr., of Millersville, was Cpl. Watts' best man when he married his high school sweetheart, Nicole Seaton Watts, on May 18, 2004.
Visibly shaken yesterday, Mr. Sutherland told mourners how much Cpl. Watts meant to him and a lot of other young people.
"Justin was a big brother to everyone," Mr. Sutherland said. "We looked up to his strength."
---
Next Top Story
Top Stories Page
Subscribe to The Capital
Published January 24, 2006, The Capital, Annapolis, Md.
Copyright © 2006 The Capital, Annapolis, Md.