Stephen F. Dearmon

Wednesday, April 08 2009 @ 11:23 PM MDT

Rocky Mount Telegram -- CROSSVILLE, Tenn. — The military says a Marine from East Tennessee has died in a non-hostile incident in Iraq.

The Department of Defense said Wednesday that 21-year-old Lance Cpl. Stephen F. Dearmon died April 3 in Anbar province. The military says the incident is under investigation.

He was assigned to 2nd Marine Logistics Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C., and was trained as a combat photographer.

Dearmon joined the Marine Corps in August 2007 and joined his current unit in April 2008. He was promoted to the rank of lance corporal on Oct. 1.

His decorations include the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Iraq Campaign Medal.

==Another news story==

MOD -- KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- Family and friends around the world are mourning the loss of an East Tennessee marine.

Family members confirm that Lance Corporal Stephen Dearmon, 21was killed on April 3rd in Iraq while on duty as a Marine Corp Photographer. According to LCpl. Dearmon’s sister, he died doing what he loved.

"He wanted to go out there on the front lines and say, 'Hey you're not going to mess with me, I'm going to take care of business,’” said Tiffany Clouse.

Clouse still wears a set of dog tags her brother gave her. The tags read, “My brother is a Marine,” and she promised him not to take them off until he came home from combat.

“It was hard to say goodbye when he left for boot camp,” she said. “It was hard to say goodbye when he left for Iraq and now it's hard to say goodbye because he's not going to be there."

LCpl. Dearmon attended Crossville High School for three years before graduating from Cookeville High School. He wrestled in school and was a member of several clubs including Students Against Violence. Following graduation he joined the Marine Corp and he was stationed out of Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina at the time of his deployment.

"He was proud of who he was a marine and a photographer,” said Clouse, “just plain old Stephen."

LCpl. Dearmon became a Marine Corp photographer after graduating from the Defense Information School in Fort Meade, Maryland on April 10th, 2008. As a photographer he was called upon to document everything from changing of commands to everyday operations in Iraq.

"He wanted people to see what he saw,” said Clouse. “A camera gave him that view into everybody else."

LCpl. Dearmon’s funeral is scheduled for Tuesday, April 14th at 11:00 AM. He will be laid to rest at Tennessee Veteran's Cemetery in West Knoxville.

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