In Memoriam
Lance Corporal Karl Richard Linn, USMC
Company C - 4th Combat Engineer Battalion - 4th Marine Division
of
Midlothian, Virginia
* Semper Fidelis - Always Faithful *
Lance Corporal Karl Linn, 20, of Chesterfield County (Photo courtesy of Karl Linn's website)
Lance Corporal Karl Richard Linn, USMC was Killed on January 26, 2005 of wounds received as result of enemy action in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. His Unit is Marine Corps Reserve’s 4th Combat Engineer Battalion, 4th Marine Division, headquartered in Lynchburg, Va. He was 20 years of age.
Karl is survived by his father, Richard and mother, Malisa, and brother, Tan.
Lance Corporal Karl Richard Linn's Personal Website
Homepage Of The United States Marine Corps, Company C, 4th Combat Engineer Battalion
Fallen Heroes Memorial: Marine Lance Cpl. Karl R. Linn
Here is a letter that Karl wrote to his father on 11-September-2001:
"I
thought this email from my son Karl on 9/11/2001 might be of interest.
Karl was greatly influenced by the events that day.
From: karl@?????.net
Sent: Tuesday, September 11, 2001 11:11 AM
To: rlinn@?????.com
Subject: Terrorism
Dad-
I'm typing this at school during lunch. I went through the webmail backdoor, because the school isp blocks most communication sites. If you don't already know, a bunch of planes, passengers and all, were hijacked and made kamikaze runs. First one plowed into the World Trade Center, causing one tower to collapse. A second plane, looked like a 737 or something slammed into the second one shortly thereafter. A little after 1030 we got to a classroom that was picking up the news, and right after that we saw the second tower go. Titus pulled the cable, doesn't want the school panicking, but word is moving faaaaast. Also, a commuter plane hit teh pentagon, all key government officials are being evacuated, bush is on his way home. Unconfirmed reports state that a car bomb went off outside the state department. FAA has grounded everything and fighters can be seen scrambling. A few hijacked planes are still missing, another jet crashed earlier in the day a short distance from the airport, but no one is sure whether or not its related. 1 palestinian group has so far claimed responsibility, but they all try to be proud and stupid. The real perpetrators would know that once the US finds out, they would be incinerated into the stone age. This is an amazingly well coordinated attack, focusing on the major symbols of the free world, all within 1 hour. All the history teachers have studied and have known that there is gap in recent years that should be filled by a war, not just a little gulf war. Even I knew it was coming, but I never expected such a violent and unprecedented attack. This could easily erupt into a holy war if there are enough zealots in palestine and elsewhere, and could cause a huge conflict that could spell the end of the muslim faith. I hope it doesn't get that global, but you can be sure the world will not let this one go unpunished. This is without a doubt the biggest, most vicious act of terrorism (if not an act of war) in modern times, if not the history of mankind. Looks like Bush and the military will be getting those funds to finish research on all those new weapons and fighters scheduled for the next 8 years. Well, I'll see what's going on when i get home, most of the news sites here are normally blocked anyway by the school isp. Just let you know that we heard it too. Now that I'm done, there could have been another attempt at something, although national security forces probably would've intercepted. Nonetheless, the nation has been really jarred, and while I fear what's going to come, most of it is channeled into anger in knowing that something will happen. Take care, and buy more ammo.
-Karl"
Courtesy of Dick Linn of Midlothian, VA
Here is an article about what happened:
'You're never prepared'
Midlothian family suffers loss of son, 20, in an ambush in Iraq
BY PAIGE AKIN
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Jan 28, 2005
Lance Cpl. Karl Linn, 20, of Chesterfield County
With pacifist parents and no family members in the military, Karl Linn was an unlikely Marine.
But the events of 9/11 changed him.
"I think he wanted payback, as well as some discipline," Richard Linn said of his oldest son. "I'm the Peace Corps type, but I didn't object."
So after he graduated from James River High School in 2002, Karl Linn earned the blessings of his family and joined the Marines. Lance Cpl. Linn and his unit -- the 2nd Platoon, Company C, 4th Engineering Battalion out of Lynchburg -- shipped out to Iraq in the fall.
Now, the unthinkable has happened.
Linn and three others from his unit were killed Wednesday in Iraq's Anbar province during an ambush on their convoy. Linn, 20, was from Midlothian. The other victims were identified as Sgt. Jesse Strong, 24, of Orleans, Vt., a student at Liberty University in Lynchburg; Cpl. Jonathan Bowling, 23, of Stuart; and Cpl. Christopher Weaver, 24, of Fredericksburg.
Linn's interest in engineering was evident from an early age. In 1998, he and five classmates from St. Michael's Episcopal School in Bon Air designed a winning entry in the Junior Solar Sprint -- a miniature solar-powered car. Later, Linn founded James River's robotics team.
"He was not so much of a tinkerer as an observer," Richard Linn said. "He was a very quiet person, very smart, very off-the-wall. They used to call him 'Crazy Karl' in high school because they never knew what he would do next."
After James River, Linn joined the Marine Corps Reserve but chose a delayed-entry program so he could start college. He enrolled in the mechanical-engineering program at Virginia Commonwealth University and participated in "weekend warrior" basic training while attending classes, specializing in combat engineering. Then, last year, Linn's unit was activated. They were sent into combat in November.
Between missions, Linn was keeping himself busy e-mailing his family, playing with his Canon PowerShot A60 digital camera and updating his new Web site, www.karl.linn.net. He posted photos of himself, grinning widely, posing with his machine gun and Humvee.
"Other than being tired recently because of 12-hour days patrolling, he'd say the food was lousy and it was chilly," Richard Linn said yesterday. "He was more concerned about when we were sending him more socks and gummy bears, which were apparently in short supply."
Even though he was able to call home only once, at Christmas, his family could see his adventures online. They knew he was safe.
On Wednesday morning, Richard Linn was 40 miles north of Richmond on a business trip when he got a call from his mother. The Marines wanted to talk to him at home.
"You're never prepared. My wife just didn't even want to think about it. She was always scared, from the time he was in boot camp, but she hoped and prayed and tried not to dwell on it. I knew this could happen. I felt the odds were good that it wouldn't, but I've never been a gambling man"
Linn is survived by his father and mother, Malisa, and brother, Tan, who is 15 and a sophomore at James River.
Contact Paige Akin at (804) 649-6671 or pakin@timesdispatch.com
Lance Corporal Karl Richard Linn, USMC, age 20, died Wednesday, January 26, 2005 as a result of hostile action in Iraq. He is survived by his parents, Richard J. Linn and Malisa Linn; a brother, Tan Linn; and his grandmothers, Anita Linn and Lee Woothi. The family will receive friends 2 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Huguenot Chapel, Woody Funeral Home, 1020 Huguenot Road, followed by services at 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. An additional service will be held at the funeral home at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, followed by burial with full Military Honors at 2 p.m. in Culpeper National Cemetery. After this service, please join the family for a luncheon and reception at the Holiday Inn in Culpeper. In lieu of flowers, please make contributions to Fisher House or the American Red Cross for Tsunami Relief.
Published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch from 1/31/2005 - 2/1/2005.
From: karl@?????.net
Sent: Tuesday, September 11, 2001 11:11 AM
To: rlinn@?????.com
Subject: Terrorism
Dad-
I'm typing this at school during lunch. I went through the webmail backdoor, because the school isp blocks most communication sites. If you don't already know, a bunch of planes, passengers and all, were hijacked and made kamikaze runs. First one plowed into the World Trade Center, causing one tower to collapse. A second plane, looked like a 737 or something slammed into the second one shortly thereafter. A little after 1030 we got to a classroom that was picking up the news, and right after that we saw the second tower go. Titus pulled the cable, doesn't want the school panicking, but word is moving faaaaast. Also, a commuter plane hit teh pentagon, all key government officials are being evacuated, bush is on his way home. Unconfirmed reports state that a car bomb went off outside the state department. FAA has grounded everything and fighters can be seen scrambling. A few hijacked planes are still missing, another jet crashed earlier in the day a short distance from the airport, but no one is sure whether or not its related. 1 palestinian group has so far claimed responsibility, but they all try to be proud and stupid. The real perpetrators would know that once the US finds out, they would be incinerated into the stone age. This is an amazingly well coordinated attack, focusing on the major symbols of the free world, all within 1 hour. All the history teachers have studied and have known that there is gap in recent years that should be filled by a war, not just a little gulf war. Even I knew it was coming, but I never expected such a violent and unprecedented attack. This could easily erupt into a holy war if there are enough zealots in palestine and elsewhere, and could cause a huge conflict that could spell the end of the muslim faith. I hope it doesn't get that global, but you can be sure the world will not let this one go unpunished. This is without a doubt the biggest, most vicious act of terrorism (if not an act of war) in modern times, if not the history of mankind. Looks like Bush and the military will be getting those funds to finish research on all those new weapons and fighters scheduled for the next 8 years. Well, I'll see what's going on when i get home, most of the news sites here are normally blocked anyway by the school isp. Just let you know that we heard it too. Now that I'm done, there could have been another attempt at something, although national security forces probably would've intercepted. Nonetheless, the nation has been really jarred, and while I fear what's going to come, most of it is channeled into anger in knowing that something will happen. Take care, and buy more ammo.
-Karl"
Courtesy of Dick Linn of Midlothian, VA
Here is an article about what happened:
'You're never prepared'
Midlothian family suffers loss of son, 20, in an ambush in Iraq
BY PAIGE AKIN
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Jan 28, 2005
Lance Cpl. Karl Linn, 20, of Chesterfield County
With pacifist parents and no family members in the military, Karl Linn was an unlikely Marine.
But the events of 9/11 changed him.
"I think he wanted payback, as well as some discipline," Richard Linn said of his oldest son. "I'm the Peace Corps type, but I didn't object."
So after he graduated from James River High School in 2002, Karl Linn earned the blessings of his family and joined the Marines. Lance Cpl. Linn and his unit -- the 2nd Platoon, Company C, 4th Engineering Battalion out of Lynchburg -- shipped out to Iraq in the fall.
Now, the unthinkable has happened.
Linn and three others from his unit were killed Wednesday in Iraq's Anbar province during an ambush on their convoy. Linn, 20, was from Midlothian. The other victims were identified as Sgt. Jesse Strong, 24, of Orleans, Vt., a student at Liberty University in Lynchburg; Cpl. Jonathan Bowling, 23, of Stuart; and Cpl. Christopher Weaver, 24, of Fredericksburg.
Linn's interest in engineering was evident from an early age. In 1998, he and five classmates from St. Michael's Episcopal School in Bon Air designed a winning entry in the Junior Solar Sprint -- a miniature solar-powered car. Later, Linn founded James River's robotics team.
"He was not so much of a tinkerer as an observer," Richard Linn said. "He was a very quiet person, very smart, very off-the-wall. They used to call him 'Crazy Karl' in high school because they never knew what he would do next."
After James River, Linn joined the Marine Corps Reserve but chose a delayed-entry program so he could start college. He enrolled in the mechanical-engineering program at Virginia Commonwealth University and participated in "weekend warrior" basic training while attending classes, specializing in combat engineering. Then, last year, Linn's unit was activated. They were sent into combat in November.
Between missions, Linn was keeping himself busy e-mailing his family, playing with his Canon PowerShot A60 digital camera and updating his new Web site, www.karl.linn.net. He posted photos of himself, grinning widely, posing with his machine gun and Humvee.
"Other than being tired recently because of 12-hour days patrolling, he'd say the food was lousy and it was chilly," Richard Linn said yesterday. "He was more concerned about when we were sending him more socks and gummy bears, which were apparently in short supply."
Even though he was able to call home only once, at Christmas, his family could see his adventures online. They knew he was safe.
On Wednesday morning, Richard Linn was 40 miles north of Richmond on a business trip when he got a call from his mother. The Marines wanted to talk to him at home.
"You're never prepared. My wife just didn't even want to think about it. She was always scared, from the time he was in boot camp, but she hoped and prayed and tried not to dwell on it. I knew this could happen. I felt the odds were good that it wouldn't, but I've never been a gambling man"
Linn is survived by his father and mother, Malisa, and brother, Tan, who is 15 and a sophomore at James River.
Contact Paige Akin at (804) 649-6671 or pakin@timesdispatch.com
-OBITUARY-
Lance Corporal Karl Richard Linn, USMC, age 20, died Wednesday, January 26, 2005 as a result of hostile action in Iraq. He is survived by his parents, Richard J. Linn and Malisa Linn; a brother, Tan Linn; and his grandmothers, Anita Linn and Lee Woothi. The family will receive friends 2 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Huguenot Chapel, Woody Funeral Home, 1020 Huguenot Road, followed by services at 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. An additional service will be held at the funeral home at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, followed by burial with full Military Honors at 2 p.m. in Culpeper National Cemetery. After this service, please join the family for a luncheon and reception at the Holiday Inn in Culpeper. In lieu of flowers, please make contributions to Fisher House or the American Red Cross for Tsunami Relief.
Published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch from 1/31/2005 - 2/1/2005.
From
the Richmond Times-Dispatch "In Remembrance" page on Legacy.com:
|
|
| Karl R. Linn was a tinkerer with a flair for the creative. Even while at war, friends could keep up with him through a Web site he'd rigged from Iraq. The site shows photos of guns and helicopters. One is labeled, "Little old me with the Kalashnikov," and others offer a view of the Euphrates from his balcony. "Welcome to my improvised website about my current adventures in Iraq," it says. "For those of you who don't know me (or for those who simply don't remember), my name's Karl, and the Marine Corps Reserve has called me into active service for the time being." Linn, 20, of Chesterfield, Va., died Jan. 26 during an attack on his convoy near Haditha. He was based at Lynchburg. Linn, who helped start a robotics team at high school, was a mechanical engineering student at Virginia Commonwealth University. He was so small in stature when he first went into basic training _ 5-foot-6 and 125 pounds _ that he was put on double rations. "God, everybody that knew him loved him," said his father, Richard. "He was a little guy _ but he was a little gem." He also is survived by his mother, Malisa. | |
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