Marine Corps Staff Sergeant Danny Dupre

Staff Sergeant Danny Paul Dupre, 28, of Lockport, Louisiana, was assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. He was killed on July 15, 2008, in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, after being struck by enemy sniper fire while gathering intelligence during combat operations near Ramadi in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

SSgt Dupre grew up in Lockport, where he attended Central Lafourche High School, participated in Junior ROTC, and enlisted in the Marine Corps immediately after graduation. His first assignment was with the elite Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon in Washington, D.C. During his 10-year military career, he rose through the ranks to become an infantry unit leader and completed four overseas deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Dupre was remembered as a courageous leader who cared deeply for his fellow Marines. Gunnery Sergeant Damien Martin, who served with him, said, "He was the glue that kept his squad together."

SSgt Dupre was survived by his wife and son.