Local Marine killed in Iraq
Family says he died in building attacked by a suicide bomber
By ROSALIO AHUMADA
BEE STAFF WRITER
Last Updated: March 12, 2006, 05:29:24 AM PST
Friends stood on the small, dimly lit porch of the Long fam-ily home
Saturday evening remembering a quick-witted and caring young man who always
wanted to be a soldier.
Marine Lance Cpl. Bunny Long, 22, of Modesto, was killed Friday when a
suicide bomber rammed a truck filled with explosives into a building he was
guarding in Iraq, said his family.
Bunna Long, 31, said he was told by military officials that his brother was
manning a tower in a building in Anbar province on Friday when the bomb
exploded and the building collapsed.
There was no information available Saturday from the Department of Defense.
Family members said they were notified of the death Friday morning by two
uniformed Marine officers who showed up at their west Modesto home.
Long, a 2002 graduate of Modesto High School, arrived in Iraq for his tour
of duty in September, and his brother said he couldn't wait to get home.
"He was getting ready to come home in about two weeks," said Bunna Long, who
last spoke to his brother about a week ago. "But he just didn't make it."
He said military officials told him they didn't know whether the explosion
or the building's collapse killed his brother.
"My heart just dropped after they told me," Bunna Long said. "They only come
for one reason."
He said his mother, 51-year-old Yen Chea, was taking the news hard, but was
keeping busy to ease the pain of losing her youngest child.
Bunny, pronounced "Boonie," always kept his family and friends in his
thoughts, even in a combat zone halfway across the world, said his sister,
Sokhom Long, 24.
The last time she saw him was right before he left for Iraq, where he drove
eight-ton military trucks. She took a flight from her home in Seattle on
Friday night to be with her family.
"He is a very warm and compassionate person," Sokhom Long said. "I would
give anything to spend one more day with him."
Bunny Long was the 13th area soldier to die in the war on terrorism. The
last was Army Sgt. 1st Class Chad Gonsalves, 31, of Turlock, who was killed
Feb. 13 in Afghanistan.
Nick Pulen, 22, first met Long when they sat next to each other in a science
class during their freshman year at Modesto High.
The two became friends, and Pulen's mother would send Long care packages in
Iraq filled with antibacterial wipes and cushioned sole inserts for his
shoes because his feet would hurt after standing for hours on guard duty.
"He was probably one of the funniest guys I know," Pulen said about his
friend.
Long's cousin, 22-year-old Thomas Yun, said he and Long were raised like
brothers, with their birthdays a week apart.
"We were in diapers together and we went to the same schools together," Yun
said. "He was very protective of me."
Long's sister, 26-year-old Sokha Long, said friends and family have
continued to arrive at the home.
As her father, 60-year-old Sim Long, greeted people, Sokha Long noted her
brother's kind soul.
"My brother knew how to live life, and there was never a dull moment," Sokha
Long said. "The pain is really sharp right now, and I'm sure years from now
it will still be the same. He was a good little brother."