Monthly Archives: March 2015

Screenshot from “Nick’s Life”

“Hey, coming down to the final stretch over here.  Hope to see you all soon.  Thanks again for everything!” — Nick Kirven, April 2005

Nick Kirven was killed in action on 8 May 2005, almost a year before I joined the Marine Corps. I never met him. The closest I ever came was through his brothers in arms, many of whom were getting ready to leave either 3rd Battalion or the Marine Corps in November 2006 when I was assigned to his old unit, Kilo Company 2nd Platoon. His memory was kept alive through their behavior: their rigorous instance of proper combat drills, occasional references to some terrible day in Afghanistan, or just their general anger that a close friend had been taken from them.

That changed two years ago when I accidentally stumbled upon his old website, Nick’s Life From Around the World. Read more »