2 Southland Marines Killed in Battle for Fallouja

Victor R. Lu wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps.

Xuong Lu, 65, had served in the South Vietnamese army during the war against the communist forces there during the 1960s and 1970s.

“He listened to my stories,” Xuong Lu said. “I think he wanted to do what I had done.”

Victor Lu, born in Los Angeles after his family immigrated to the United States, enlisted in the Marine Corps in December 2002. On Nov. 13, the 22-year-old lance corporal was killed by small-arms fire during the battle to subdue insurgents in the Iraqi city of Fallouja.

Xuong Lu said last week that his sorrow was tempered by a strong sense of pride.

“Only someone very brave could do what he did,” Xuong Lu said.

Victor Lu grew up in the Lincoln Heights area, graduating from Bravo High School in 2000. Six feet 3 and powerfully built, he was an accomplished athlete, playing basketball and earning a black belt in Asian martial arts, according to his sister, Nancy, 30.

She said her brother attended Pasadena City College, concentrating on criminal law. “He eventually wanted to be a police officer,” she said.

But Nancy Lu said her brother decided to try military duty before starting a career in law enforcement.

“He looked at all the services, and he liked the Marine Corps best,” she said. “The discipline. The training. He loved it all. He wanted to serve, to protect his country.”

Victor Lu’s mother, Nu Nham, 52, said that, initially, she had misgivings.

“At first, I was afraid,” she said. “But I realized that was what he wanted to do. I supported him 100%.”

The young Marine served an initial tour in Iraq, returned to the United States for about a year, then was sent back to Iraq in September.

“He said he got to meet a lot of Iraqi people, but he said it was dangerous. You could never let your guard down,” Nancy Lu said.

Victor Lu was a combat infantryman with the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Camp Pendleton, when he was killed.

His personal awards include the Purple Heart, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon and the National Defense Service Medal.

Last week, at the family’s hilltop home in Lincoln Heights, the Marine’s immaculate white Nissan 300 ZX sports car stood as a shrine in the driveway, surrounded by flowers and photographs and, at night, dozens of lighted candles.

“He loved cars,” his sister said. “But he especially loved that car.”