Fallen Marine is Returned Home to Liberia

Story & Photos by 1st. Lt. Mark Lazane/U.S. Air Force

FLEHLA, Liberia--In 1998, during the Liberian civil wars, U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Abraham Tarwoe, then age 12, fled the violence of his home country, searching for peace.

"For many reasons, he didn't want to leave Liberia, he had his friends and his life, but he saw the opportunity that existed in the U.S., so he went," Tarwoe's uncle, John Kar said. "We all saw the potential that existed for him in the United States."

Unfortunately, Tarwoe's return to his native land would occur under far more solemn circumstances.

Tarwoe, of Providence, R.I., a member of 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, Camp Lejeune, N.C., lost his life from wounds sustained in combat in Helmand province, Afghanistan, April 12.

In a service befitting his status as a hero, Tarwoe was laid to rest with full military honors in his home village of Flehla, Bong County, Liberia, May 17.

"Family was very important to him, so he made it clear that if he were to die, he wanted his body to come back to where he was born," said Kar. "We have a family cemetery, and he wanted to continue to be a part of the family when he passed away."

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