Marvin L Best

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PROSSER, WA, USA U.S. Marines SSGT, HQ CO, 2D BN, 7TH MAR, RCT-7, 1ST MAR DIV, TWENTYNINE PALMS, CA AL ANBAR PROVINCE, IRAQ 06/19/2004

Marine Staff Sergeant Marvin L. Best enlisted in the Marine Corps soon after graduating from Prosser High School in 1989. He knew even as a young boy that he wanted to make the military a career.

Best, 33, from Prosser, Washington, was killed on June 20, 2004, in Anbar province, Iraq. He was five years away from retirement.

Best had an engaging personality and loved to share stories from his experience oversees. He even brought bottled black sand and volcanic ash from the beaches of Iwo Jima after deployment to Japan.

He was in the Marine 22nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, and California.

Between 1998 and 2004, he served as a recruiter for the Marines. He deployed to Iraq in February of 2004. Best received multiple awards, including the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, the War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal and the National Defense Service Medal.

He was an avid marathon runner and triathlon competitor, competing in more than a dozen marathons. He also found solace in simply sitting on a rock and fishing. He tinkered with making specialty beers and had an old 1969 Jeep Commander he bought to rebuild.

“Staff Sergeant Marvin L. Best was a childhood friend of mine and very close to me. We grew from Cub Scouts thru Boy Scouts, and Church, along with our schooling together; he was a great friend and companion. I was serving my 2nd Middle East tour the day Marvin gave his life and unfortunately did not find out till several months later. I miss him so dearly,” said Michael DeWitt.

He leaves his wife, Rachelle, his parents, Charlotte and William Best and a sister, Lorna.

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Marvin’s portrait is also located on Poster 1