Lance Cpl. Cothran of Avondale, La., was a high school football star, but so sickly as a child with asthma and allergies that he almost died twice before age 2. Also as a young child, he nearly drowned in a pool. At John Curtis High School in River Ridge, La., Cothran played on football teams that won three state championships. During one game his team was deep in the fourth quarter with the rain pouring down. The other team needed to make an extra point to win the game. Derrick shot out across the line and blocked the point. He was so happy that he took off down the field to the 50-yard line,and dove into the mud. He won a scholarship to play at Union College in Kentucky, but after two years decided to join the Marines. He did well in training and scored high on all the tests, and could have had his pick of jobs, but chose one that would likely put him in combat. He wanted to be on the front lines, out there in the thick of it. He hoped to go back to college eventually and seek a federal law enforcement job. He had been married nine months, in the Marines 11 months, and in Iraq three weeks when he was killed. Survivors include: his father and mother, Elena, both of Avondale, La.; wife, Victoria; twin older siblings, Pfc. Theodore Cothran of Camp Pendleton, Calif., and Antoinette Hebert of Avondale. He died when their HMMWV struck an improvised explosive device during combat operations in Iraq at age 21.
Marines
2nd Tank Battalion,
2nd Marine Division,
II Marine Expeditionary Force,
Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Marines
2nd Tank Battalion,
2nd Marine Division,
II Marine Expeditionary Force,
Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Lance Cpl. Cothran of Avondale, La., was a high school football star, but so sickly as a child with asthma and allergies that he almost died twice before age 2. Also as a young child, he nearly drowned in a pool. At John Curtis High School in River Ridge, La., Cothran played on football teams that won three state championships. During one game his team was deep in the fourth quarter with the rain pouring down. The other team needed to make an extra point to win the game. Derrick shot out across the line and blocked the point. He was so happy that he took off down the field to the 50-yard line,and dove into the mud. He won a scholarship to play at Union College in Kentucky, but after two years decided to join the Marines. He did well in training and scored high on all the tests, and could have had his pick of jobs, but chose one that would likely put him in combat. He wanted to be on the front lines, out there in the thick of it. He hoped to go back to college eventually and seek a federal law enforcement job. He had been married nine months, in the Marines 11 months, and in Iraq three weeks when he was killed. Survivors include: his father and mother, Elena, both of Avondale, La.; wife, Victoria; twin older siblings, Pfc. Theodore Cothran of Camp Pendleton, Calif., and Antoinette Hebert of Avondale. He died when their HMMWV struck an improvised explosive device during combat operations in Iraq at age 21.
Marines
2nd Tank Battalion,
2nd Marine Division,
II Marine Expeditionary Force,
Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Marines
2nd Tank Battalion,
2nd Marine Division,
II Marine Expeditionary Force,
Camp Lejeune, N.C.
