A soldier living in Spotsylvania County was one of the troops killed so far in the U.S.-Israel military action in the Middle East.
Army Chief Warrant Officer Three Robert M. Marzan, a 54-year-old who had lived in Sacramento, Calif., was honored in a dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Saturday, Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations said.
Marzan, an Army Reservist who was assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command in Des Moines, Iowa, was killed in action in Kuwait supporting Operation Epic Fury, according to Rep. Eugene Vindman’s office. The Department of War said Marzan was at the scene of an incident March 1 in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait.
“Last weekend, I was distressed to learn that six brave U.S. service members were killed in Kuwait,” Vindman, whose 7th District includes the Fredericksburg area, said in a statement released Saturday night. “I was especially saddened to learn that one of those Americans, Chief Warrant Officer Three Robert M. Marzan of Spotsylvania County, was my constituent.”
The congressman said Marzan “served our nation with courage and dedication, and his loss is deeply felt not only by his family and fellow service members, but by the entire Spotsylvania community.
Army Chief Warrant Officer Three Robert M. Marzan (Photo from Rep. Ami Bera’s Facebook page)
“He leaves behind his wife, Tina, his son, Justin, and his daughter, Felicia. While no words can ease the grief of such a loss, we honor his life by remembering the service and sacrifice he made in defense of our country.”
Memories of Marzan and thoughts on his service have been posted over the past few days on Facebook.
His sister, Elizabeth Marzan, expressed thanks for condolences from California Gov. Gavin Newsom and for the state government there flying flags at the capitol at half-staff.
“Thank you all for honoring my brother, Robert Marzan,” she wrote. “Your heartfelt love, support and prayers for our family is much appreciated. God bless all those that serve and has given their ultimate sacrifice so that we can be free. May God bless all our broken hearts. Help us and give us strength with the same courage and bravery my brother had, to unselfishly serve our country well. God bless you all.”
Virginia’s Governor Abigail Spanberger and U.S. senators, Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, also offered their sympathy on social media over the weekend.
“My heart is broken for the family of Chief Warrant Officer Three Robert M. Marzan, who tragically died in the ongoing war in the Middle East,” Warner wrote in a post Friday. “I’m thinking of his family here in Virginia, friends and fellow servicemembers as they mourn his loss.”
Wrote Kaine: “Virginia mourns the loss of Chief Warrant Officer Three Robert M. Marzan, a tragic casualty of the Iran War. Let’s all pray for his family in Spotsylvania.”
