Here is an update of the Marine that was killed at Camp Lejeune. My daughter is devastated about this.
ROSS TWP. – Investigators at Camp Lejeune, N.C., believe they know who killed Joshua Hartzell.
What they haven’t said yet is how the Ross Township man died or why.
Family members said Hartzell, 22, dreamed his whole life of serving his country in the U.S. military and joined the Marines in September 2006 after graduating from Ross High School.
“He knew exactly what he was doing,” said his stepfather, Kirk Dickhaus, 45. “That boy was a Marine. He wanted to protect everyone here.”
But Hartzell’s dream was cut short Friday. His body was found in the woods at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, N.C.
Private Jonathan Law, 21, another Marine at Camp Lejeune, is under arrest, charged with killing Hartzell.
Military police went to Law’s barracks about 1 a.m. Friday after receiving a call about a disturbance. They found Law with apparent self-inflicted wounds and learned that Hartzell’s body was in the woods across the street from the barracks.
Hartzell died of head trauma, according to base officials.
Law was taken to the military jail Saturday after being treated at a North Carolina hospital for his wounds.
Military officials have released few details about Hartzell’s death. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) is continuing the investigation.
Investigators and Hartzell’s family said they are not sure of the relationship between the two men or if they even knew each other.
“We don’t know motivation. We don’t know if they had a relationship. We don’t know if it was random,” said Capt. Timothy Patrick, a base spokesman.
Both men joined the Marines in 2006 and served in the 2nd Marine Logistics Group.
Hartzell was an electro-optical ordnance repairer with 2nd Maintenance Battalion. He has earned several awards including the Good Conduct Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the National Defense Service Medal.
Law, originally from Nevada, is a supply administration clerk assigned to the 2nd Supply Battalion. He served in Iraq from August 2007 to March 2008 and earned several medals, including the Iraqi Campaign Medal.
Camp Lejeune officials said they would look into their security measures, but believe there is no connection between Hartzell’s death and Thursday’s shootings at Fort Hood.
Hartzell’s father, Edward Hartzell of Lebanon, said his son’s death is overwhelming.
“The proudest day of my life was when he graduated from boot camp,” said Edward Hartzell.
Following dinner, fireman stopped by and thanked the young Marine for serving his country, his father said.
Hartzell said that his son used a high school graduation gift of money to buy a flag pole and American and Marine flags for the front yard of his home in Ross Township.
“He enlisted in a time of war and was ready to serve,” his father said.
Other family members were trying to comfort one another as they gathered at the Ross Township home to wait for more information.
“We are tight but this is just tearing us apart,” said his sister, Sara Robbe, 29, of Trenton, as she stood Monday on the front porch.
Hartzell was so close to his family, he called several relatives daily. He has two older sisters, a younger brother and a 19-year-old step-brother.
The family, which moved from Mount Healthy to Ross Township about eight years ago, has faced hard times before, his sister said. The siblings and their mother, Jeannean, recovered from a serious 1994 car crash that occurred when a drunk driver slammed into their car, injuring and hospitalizing everyone.
On Hartzell’s last visit home, over the summer, he vacationed with them in Tampa and then drove to Cleveland to visit his grandparents.
“What 22-year-old would do that? No one,” his sister said. “Only the good ones. He had his priorities straight. Josh always put people first.”
In high school, Hartzell was a member of the wrestling team, earned good grades and was well-liked by his peers and the staff.
“Even after Josh went off to the Marines, he would come back to Ross to visit is family,” said Lani Wildow, principal of Ross High. “He always volunteered with the wrestling family as well, as recently as last season with our kids.”
The family has questions about what happened. They said they are trying to stay positive to honor Hartzell’s memory.
“Josh would want us to be strong right now and pull together,” his sister said.
The family is confident the military will conduct a thorough investigation. They stressed that Hartzell’s death – and last week’s shooting rampage at the Army base at Fort Hood, Texas – should not reflect badly on the military.
“We don’t want people to lose faith in the military, the Marines and the country,” said his sister. “It is times like these when everyone needs to stand together. Our hearts go out to every military family right now.”
Hartzell’s brother, Matthew, 20, is in the Army. He has returned home on emergency leave.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
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