Los Angeles Times  —Lance Cpl. Jordan C. Haerter and Cpl. Jonathan T. Yale were standing guard early Tuesday morning when a blue dump truck packed with 2,000 pounds of explosives came speeding toward the compound. The two quickly went through the "escalation of force" procedures: waving their arms, shouting and shooting flares.

When the truck refused to stop, Haerter and Yale stood in its path and opened fire. The truck rolled to a stop about 30 feet from the entry point and exploded, spreading destruction about 130 feet in all directions, demolishing a mosque and injuring 20 Iraqi civilians.

Haerter, 19, of Sag Harbor, N.Y., was killed instantly. Yale, 21, of Burkeville, Va., died moments later. Both were from the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

An official after-action report says the two acted without hesitation or concern for their own lives and saved the lives of 33 Marines and 21 Iraqi police inside the compound:

"Recognizing the danger to their fellow Marines and partnered Iraqi police, Cpl. Yale and Lance Cpl. Haerter fearless gave their lives in their defense."

==Another news story==

Newsday -- Pierson High School binds the tiny Peconic Bay village of Sag Harbor. The fewer than 100 students the school graduates every year know each other from the first grade or from baseball practice or from the Conca D'Oro pizza restaurant on Sag Harbor's shop-lined Main Street.

Yesterday, teachers, students and parents whose lives were brought together by Pierson High joined the long lines outside a funeral home a few blocks from the school.

The people of Sag Harbor came together yesterday for the wake of Marine Lance Cpl. Jordan Haerter. Haerter became the village's first battlefield loss since World War II last week when he was killed near Ramadi, Iraq, while defending a checkpoint there

"It's such a small community that you do everything together," said Kate Evarts, whose son, Iain Gordon, had known Haerter since elementary school, played baseball with him, and graduated with Haerter in 2006.

"We went to Little League practices together," Evarts said of Haerter's mother, Joann Lyles, as she made her way from the funeral home after paying her respects. "Now we're going to a funeral together."

Since news of Haerter's death spread among many of the village's 2,359 residents, signs of grief have been everywhere.

On Saturday, members of the community gathered at the high school for a candlelight vigil. Haerter's mother, Joann Lyles, led in the singing of "Amazing Grace." On Main Street, Conca D'Oro had a sign in its window that had reminded people to line the streets for Saturday's motorcade that brought Haerter's body back home. At American Legion Post 388 across from the town dock, where the Sag Harbor Community Band plays Tuesdays in the summer, the flag flew at half-staff.

"It's a small village and everybody cares," said Tod Granger, a member of Sag Harbor Post 9082, Veterans of Foreign Wars, as he waited at the funeral home to pay his respects. "I've been all over the world and there's nothing like Sag Harbor. This community still has a heart."

Haerter's death has reached far beyond Sag Harbor.

Michael Williams, 45, rode more than 13 hours on a motorcycle from his home in Prospect, Ky., to pay respects.

Williams, himself a former Marine, met Haerter's father, Christian Haerter, two years ago through a motorcycle club. In the years since, the men had exchanged e-mails about Haerter's decision to join the Marines.

In yesterday's dank chill, Williams stood outside the funeral home with about two dozen flag-carrying members of the Patriot Guard Riders, a group of motorcyclists that has appeared at funerals nationwide for soldiers killed in battle.

"My son is 19," said Williams. "To lose a son who is only 19, I can feel how that would feel."

Evarts said it did not surprise her that so many in the community would stand in the chill to say goodbye. "It could have been any of our kids," Evarts said, choking back a sob.

"We share the good stuff," she said, as she made her way from the funeral home. "And we share the hard stuff."

Haerter's funeral is scheduled today at 11 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church in Sag Harbor. He will be buried in the village's Oakland Cemetery.