R.I.P. Lance Cpl. William T. Richards

Marine Lance Cpl. William T. Richards
Died June 26, 2010 serving during Operation Enduring Freedom

20, of Trenton, Ga.; assigned to 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died June 26 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

(The following was taken from blogal.com of July 2, 2010) MOBILE, Ala. -- A young Marine who was a former resident of Mobile died Saturday, June 26, 2010, in Afghanistan, according to the Department of Defense.

Lance Cpl. William T. Richards, 20, died June 26 during a "hostile incident while supporting combat operations in the Helmand province of Afghanistan," according to a news release from Camp LeJeune, N.C., where Richards was based.

Richards resided in Trenton, Ga., but as a child lived in Mobile until 2001, his uncle by marriage, Les Pouliot said Thursday, July 1.

Richards is survived by a wife, according to the release.

"He was always a very good-hearted, sweet child," Pouliot said. "He was just as good a kid as you've ever meet. He always did the right thing."

Pouliot said his nephew was a talented banjo player who "would take requests. You could say, 'Play this,' and he'd play it perfectly. He was extremely musically inclined."

Richards followed in his father's and brother's footsteps when he entered the Marines, Pouliot said.

Richards served as a squad automatic rifleman. He joined the Marines, according to the release, in September 2008 and was promoted to the rank of lance corporal in November 2009.

Richards was deployed to Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom in March 2010, according to the release.

During his service, Richards was awarded the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, National Defense Service Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, according to the release.