Another Local Hero Dies

A slain Marine from South Jersey died while fulfilling his childhood ambition.

Marine Cpl. Sean Kelly was one of 31 United States troops killed in a helicopter crash in Iraq yesterday. The 23-year-old from Pitman wrote in his high school yearbook that he wanted to be a U.S. Marine.

Kelly was on a helicopter that crashed in bad weather in a desert, killing 30 Marines and one Navy sailor. It was the deadliest day for U.S. troops in Iraq since hostilities began there 22 months ago.

The former football player and wrestler used to return to his elementary school when he was on leave to talk to students about life in the military.

Author: NBC10/AP