R.I.P. Cpl. Jeffrey R. Standfest

Marine Cpl. Jeffrey R. Standfest
Died June 16, 2010 serving during Operation Enduring Freedom

23, of St. Clair, Mich.; assigned to 3rd Combat Engineer Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif.; died June 16 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

(The following was taken from www.clickondetroit.com of June 17, 2010) CHINA TOWNSHIP, Mich. -- A 23-year-old Marine from St. Clair County described by those who knew him as proud of his service has died while supporting combat operations in Afghanistan, the military said Thursday.

Cpl. Jeffrey R. Standfest died Wednesday in Helmand province, the Defense Department said in a statement. His family lives in China Township, but the military listed his hometown as the nearby community of St. Clair.

The military didn't release details of the circumstances surrounding his death. He was a canine handler and a combat engineer whose dog was killed recently by a roadside bomb, The Macomb Daily of Mount Clemens reported.

He is the son of Timothy Standfest, a detective with the police department in Macomb County's Clinton Township, and Karen Standfest, vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer at Henry Ford Macomb Hospital.

Jeffrey Standfest was an "all American kid" who joined the military because his grandfather served in the Marines during World War II, family friend Doug Mills, a retired Clinton Township detective, told the newspaper.

"I watched Jeff grow up into a man and into a Marine hero," Mills said. "This sounds corny, but I thank God there are people like him in the Marines and Army. What would we in this country do without people like him?"

He was a graduate of St. Clair High School, where he excelled as a runner. Clinton Township police spokesman Detective Capt. Richard Maierle knew Standfest since the Marine was a young child and said he was proud to serve.

"He was an outstanding high school athlete and a respectful person who loved his family and loved being in the Marine Corps," Maierle said. "He was just an overall great kid."

The military said Standfest was assigned to the 3rd Combat Engineer Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force based at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center at Twentynine Palms, Calif.

China Township is located about 45 miles northeast of Detroit.