People weren”t surprised when Harry H. Timberman joined the Marines: He always wanted to help people and had served as a volunteer for his high school”s peer helper program. “What a wonderful kid. He had a real big heart.
He was always excited about helping,” said Rosemary Doyle, his former counselor. Timberman, 20, of Minong, Wis., was killed March 17 during combat operations in Anbar province. He was a 2004 high school graduate and was assigned to Twentynine Palms. “He had a great sense of humor and was a little counter-culture at times,” Doyle said. “He was one of those kids you really come to appreciate.” Timberman was willing to look goofy, sometimes wearing an oversized earring to spark comment from his fellow students.
Tall and thin, Timberman looked “all grown up” in his uniform in December, Doyle said, but he looked equally spiffy in a dress, part of a Student Council “switch day.” “He didn”t take offense when the kids teased him, which they did that day,” said Doyle. “He jumped into everything with both feet.” He is survived by his father, Harry, and mother and stepfather.
A 20-year-old Minong man was killed in Iraq Saturday during combat operations, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.
Lance Cpl. Harry H. Timberman died from wounds received in Al Anbar province, Iraq. A rifleman, he was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1 Marine Expeditionary Force out of Twentynine Palms, Calif.
Timberman attended Northwood School in Minong from 2001 until 2004, and finished his senior year at Washburn County Alternative High School in Shell Lake, said Paul Lake, Northwood guidance counselor.
“He was a really good-hearted kid; kind,” Lake said.
Timberman was involved with the school’s peer helper and wrestling programs during his time there, and visited the school in December before he left for Iraq.
“He seemed like he developed into a real fine man,” Lake said. “He thanked us … for everything we did for him.”
News of Timberman’s death began circulating in Minong Sunday and was taken hard by students at school Monday.
“Our counselors were in crisis mode,” said Curt Zamzow, athletic director.
Timberman was on the wrestling team for two years, said Dave Klaas, former wrestling coach for Northwood School.
“He was a lot of fun to be around,” he said. “[Monday] was a quiet day at school.”
Timberman joined the Marines in August of 2005 and was sent to Iraq in January, according to Gunnery Sgt. Chris Cox, a spokesman for the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms.
After completing basic training, Timberman “came back to school to show off his uniform,” Klaas said. “He was very proud to be serving his country.”
He also spoke with students informally about joining the service, he said.
Timberman was the 70th combat victim from Wisconsin killed in Iraq since the U.S. invasion in March 2003, and the third from Northwestern Wisconsin. Marine Lance Cpl. Adam VanAlstine, 21, of Superior, died Feb. 25, 2006; and Army Cpl. Kenneth Cross, 21, of Parkland, died Aug. 27.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today released the following statement regarding the death of Lance Cpl. Harry H. Timberman of Minong, WI:
“Maria and I join all Californians in expressing our gratitude for Lance Corporal Timberman’s noble sacrifice. Harry served with profound patriotism to protect and preserve our nation’s cherished way of life. We offer our prayers for his family’s healing as they cope with this painful loss.â€
Timberman, 20, died March 17 as a result of injuries sustained while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, CA.
In honor of Lance Cpl. Timberman, Capitol flags will be flown at half-staff.
Lance Cpl. Timberman grew up in Fountain, Colorado. In 2001, he moved to Minong, Wisconsin with his mother and attended a small school in the Northwoods School District. Here he served as a volunteer with the school’s peer helper program “Students Offering Support” and also was on the wrestling team. He graduated from the Washburn County Wisconsin Alternative High School in Shell Lake in 2004. Harry had his first date with his eventual finacee, Karla, on September 10, 2001. He was known for his big heart and for making people laugh. He was a practical joker and he didn’t mind looking goofy to pull them off. His family called him “Junior” and “Bubba”.
He would talk about returning home and refurbishing old race cars with his father and brother. His father had just bought a 1974 Camaro as a gift for his son. He jumped into everything with both feet and on August 9, 2005, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, looking for a mission and meaning to his life.
He was a rifleman with the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, based in Twentynine Palms, California. He has earned the National Defense Service Medal, Iraqi Campaign Medal and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal. Harry is survived by his father, Harry Timberman; mother, his mother, Cynthia Coshow; his fiancee, Karla Gustafson, whom he would have married in the fall of 2007; two brothers, Bradley and David, both of Colorado; a sister, Tiffany; a nephew, Jarrod, age 2; his fiancee’s family and his step-father.
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