Fallen Marine’s tribute

As the shots of a 21-gun salute pierced the air and “Taps” played out through a crowded courtyard at the Newport Mesa Church on Saturday afternoon, tears rolled down the cheeks of too many young faces.

The faces were the friends of Marcus Glimpse, the 22-year-old Marine killed April 12 in Iraq when an improvised bomb exploded while he was setting up a roadside checkpoint.

Glimpse, of Huntington Beach, served with the 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, the battalion sponsored by the city of Newport Beach. Glimpse’s death is the fourth casualty the battalion has suffered in the war in Iraq. The battalion experienced its first two deaths earlier this month.

“We are not here to mourn a tragic loss of a young life; we are here to pay tribute to an American hero,” Congressman Dana Rohrabacher said.

As the highest elected official at the funeral, Rohrabacher extended his thanks to Glimpse and his family.

“I am here to officially thank you on behalf of all your fellow citizens,” Rohrabacher said, looking toward Glimpse’s flag-draped coffin at the front of the congregation.

Marines, friends, family and members of the Huntington Beach police and fire departments filled the Newport Mesa Church in Costa Mesa to say their final goodbyes to the much-loved Marine.

Family members remembered Glimpse as a funny, caring man who left behind many broken hearts.

“If I didn’t grow up with him, I wouldn’t be the man I am today,” said his twin brother Mike Glimpse, an Army paratrooper.

Marc Glimpse was not only a twin brother to Mike, but also a protector of his sisters, Megan and Mandy.

“I always knew I was safe when I was with Marc,” Megan Glimpse said.

His little sister Mandy Glimpse recalled her brother as the person she always looked up to.

“Through all of his faults, I found someone perfect, someone I could really rely on,” Mandy Glimpse said.

Marc Glimpse’s father, Guy Glimpse, took a moment to share with the congregation some of the quirky, more personal details about his son.

Marc Glimpse thought himself to be a fashion icon, one who sported Mohawks in high school and always took his time getting dressed before a date, Guy Glimpse said.

The city of Newport Beach has sponsored the 1st Battalion, 1st Marines for more than three years, raising money to help the marines and their families.

The 1st Battalion, 1st Marines committee, composed of city officials and residents, will meet to discuss what it can do for the families of the fallen Marines, said Newport Beach City Manager Homer Bludau.

Marc Glimpse’s funeral was emotional but uplifting, Bludau said.

Anne Oxner, whose husband is a gunnery sergeant serving in Iraq with the 1/1 Marines, is a volunteer who works with the committee, on behalf of the other wives.

Oxner, who attended Saturday’s funeral, said it was her first.

“It’s my first, and I never want to go to another again,” Oxner said.

Mike Glimpse, who had recently returned from a tour of duty, said being in the service had brought him and his brother closer. Mike Glimpse was waiting for his brother to get back so they could discuss the life-changing experience of being deployed.

Now, he’ll just have to wait a little bit longer to talk to his brother, he said. dpt.23-sunday-3-CPhotoInfoGG1Q7UEO20060423iy5gdfncPHOTO ABOVE BY MARK DUSTIN / DAILY PILOT(LA)Pallbearers lead Marcus Glimpse’s casket to the courtyard of Newport Mesa Church after Saturday’s service. At right, Marcus Glimpse is pictured with his brother, Michael. dpt.23-sunday-4-CPhotoInfoGG1Q7UHP20060423ixy1qunc(LA)Marcus Glimpse, 22, left, with his twin brother Michael. dpt.23-sunday-1-BPhotoInfoGG1Q7TME20060423iy5g9rncPHOTOS BY MARK DUSTIN / DAILY PILOT(LA)Dawn Johnson of Huntington Beach, a long-time family friend of the Glimpses, kneels at Marine Lance Cpl. Marcus Glimpse’s casket before Saturday’s service. Below, Michael Glimpse, an Army paratrooper and twin brother of Marcus Glimpse, wipes away tears while speaking at his brother’s funeral. dpt.23-sunday-2-CPhotoInfoGG1Q7TM520060423iy5gcyncMARK DUSTIN(LA)Michael Glimpse, an Army paratrooper and twin brother of Marine Lance Cpl. Marcus Glimpse, wipes away tears while speaking at his brother’s funeral service Saturday.