Thank you and God Bless you Mark!
Eastham soldier killed in Iraq Tuesday
EASTHAM - U.S. Army Sgt. Mark Vecchione, 25,
In this family photo, Mark Vecchione is surrounded by his family, including his sister Lori Vecchione, left, his mother, Cynthia DesLauriers, and Lori's son Sebastian.
(Provided to the Cape Cod Times)
of Eastham, was killed in Iraq yesterday, his mother told the Cape Cod Times today.
Cynthia DesLauriers and her daughter, Lori Vecchione, got the news at 8:30 p.m. last night when Army officials came to their home.
Vecchione died when the armored tank he was riding in ran over an improvised explosive device or IED. As the head gunner in the tank, he may have been riding halfway out of the vehicle when it was hit, the military told his mother. Army officials would not say where in Iraq he died.
Vecchione died exactly two weeks after he had returned to Iraq following a short leave with his family in Eastham.
It was his second tour of duty in the country, due to end in six months. He is the first person born and raised on Cape Cod to die in the war that began more than three years ago. With tears welling in her eyes and her face showing the kind of weariness that only sudden grief can bring, DesLauriers said her son was "very proud" to be serving in Iraq, but "was afraid at times" of the dangers.