"I cried every time there was a Marine killed and I saw their mothers, but I never thought I'd be one of the mothers," said Barbara Zimny, the mother of Cpl. Christopher E. Zimny of Glenview.Pantagraph.com -- CHICAGO -- An Illinois State University graduate from suburban Chicago who enlisted after the 2001 terrorist attacks has been killed in Iraq.
"I cried every time there was a Marine killed and I saw their mothers, but I never thought I'd be one of the mothers," said Barbara Zimny, the mother of Cpl. Christopher E. Zimny of Glenview.
The 27-year died from hostile action in Iraq's Babil Province on Monday, the Defense Department said.
"My son died honorably, but I don't think we should be there," Barbara Zimny said of the war in Iraq. "Look at how many hearts President Bush is breaking."
Zimny's parents said they were informed of their son's death Monday at their Glenview home.
"He was a good kid," said his father Ted Zimny. "He was a fun-loving guy who liked to have a good time."
Zimny was a 2000 graduate of ISU's School of Social Work. In the late 1990s, he interned with Chestnut Health Systems and PATH Crisis Center with emphasis on serving the adolescent and elderly populations, said his college adviser, Judy Sevel.
"This really has been a very sad day for us here in the School of Social Work," said Sevel, adding news of Zimny's death came as faculty learned another social work graduate is heading to Iraq.
When she heard of Zimny's death Sevel was busy planning a March 31 conference focusing on how the social work community can better support military families.
"This news is really bringing (the Iraq war) home for us," she said.
Zimny's parents said their son, who graduated from Glenbrook South High School, exercised for weeks before joining the Marines in October 2001 to make sure he was fit to serve.
"He had a sense of purpose and he felt he was doing the right thing," Ted Zimny said. "He said it was for the future kids."
He said his son had been awarded two Purple Hearts for injures received in earlier battles -- shrapnel wounds to his face, part of a toe blown off and an eardrum punctured.
At ISU, Sevel said she was surprised to hear Zimny had joined the military. "But I wasn't surprised to learn he'd won two Purple Hearts," she added. "He was the kind of person geared toward service to others."
The military hasn't provided details about the attack that killed their son, Ted Zimny said. But he said one of his son's friends who is serving in Iraq called to say that Christopher Zimny died after a massive roadside bomb detonated as he and the rest of a U.S. patrol passed by.
Zimny's tour of duty began in July and was due to end later this year, according to military spokeswoman 1st Lt. Kate Vandenbossche. Zimny was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C.