Marine Staff Sergeant Raymond Plouhar, killed while on duty in Iraq last week, will be honored during a funeral service at Lake Orion High School on July 7.
Sergeant Plouhar will lie in-state at the school at 10 a.m., with a service scheduled for 11 a.m.
He was a 1996 graduate of Lake Orion High School, and was killed on June 26 after a reported roadside bombing in Iraq, with just over a month left on his tour of duty there.
Dozens of his family members gathered at the Lake Orion home of his parents, Raymond and Cindy Plouhar, to show their support for the 10-year Marine, who resided in Scottsdale, Arizona with his wife Leigha, and their sons, Raymond, 9, and Michael, 5.
Pulte Homes flew his wife and children up on a private plane to Michigan late last week.
‘His kids thought the world of him,? said Plouhar’s father Ray.
‘When he was with them, it was quality time well spent,? Cindy said.
Sergeant Plouhar’s sisters said the family is extremely close, and everyone brought food to the Plouhars? home, as they reflected on the life of their son, brother, nephew, uncle, cousin and friend, whom many called ‘a great man.?
‘He helped everybody,? said sister Toni. ‘He was a go-getter.?
Plouhar, a Staff Sergeant assigned to the Third Battalion, Fifth Marine Regiment, First Marine Division, First Marine Expeditionary Force out of Camp Pendleton, California, was one of 16 cousins in his generation.
His cousin April Plouhar said the cousins were ‘more like brothers and sisters,? because they are all from the area and have remained close to each other.
Plouhar’s sister Marie said her brother often served as a peacemaker between his two sisters, who shared many fond memories of him. He went by one of his middle names, Jamie, before he started school.
‘In kindergarten, there were five Jamie’s in his class,? Toni said. ‘He came home and said ‘I don’t want to be called Jamie anymore.??
From then on, Plouhar went by Raymond, the same name as his father and grandfather, who also served in the Army. Toni served in the Army as well.
The family said Plouhar felt the need to return to Iraq to protect the freedom of his family and to spread democracy.
‘He’d call home and tell me ‘these people need help, they need us to be here,?? his father said.
‘Raymond was drawn to the underdog,? the elder Plouhar said. ‘He turned it into his mark. He was always trying to help.?
According to the Department of Defense, Plouhar was in the process of conducting combat operations in the Al Anbar province of Iraq on June 26 when he was wounded.
Some national reports indicated the wounds were from a roadside bombing in Al Anbar, Iraq’s largest province, which borders three countries to the west, as well as Baghdad to the east.
The story made national news on June 28, including the front pages of Yahoo, AOL and CNN’s websites, in large part because of Plouhar’s appearance in the Michael Moore documentary film ‘Fahrenheit 9/11.?
Plouhar, a Marine recruiter in Flint at the time of the filming, willingly agreed to be in the movie, which is critical of the Bush administration’s actions after September 11.
But his father said his son did not realize the film would criticize the war.
The elder Plouhar also said his son would not have liked the fact that his death received more attention than others.
‘I don’t think he was looking for the limelight,? he said. ‘That just wasn’t his way.?
Plouhar served as a recruiter for four years, after donating a kidney to his uncle, Tim Kennedy of Pontiac, in January of 2001.
‘I was extremely surprised,? Kennedy told The Review after his Jan. 9, 2001 surgery.
‘He did it all on his own. My sister told him what was happening, and right away he wanted to know my blood type.?
Plouhar’s family said that story illustrated exactly what kind of person Raymond was, and is, just as much as his return to active duty did.
‘That’s all he talked about, was being back in active duty,? his father said.
‘They called it light duty,? Cindy added. ‘But it was hard for him because that’s not what he was all about.?
Former LOHS coach and teacher Donn Hoganson, who said he is also a distant relative of Plouhar’s, called Raymond ‘a prototype Marine.?
‘He looked like a rough and tumble, grizzly bear type, but he was a soft-hearted person, and dedicated too of course, to be a military lifer,? said Hoganson, who helped coach Plouhar in football and had him and his sister Toni in his classroom at LOHS.
‘I think he picked some of that dedication up from sports,? Hoganson added. Plouhar played football and wrestled during his time at LOHS.
‘He was a good student, and I felt a special closeness to (Raymond and Toni), before I even know I was related to them,? said Hoganson.
‘Raymond was a very positive, hard-nosed kind of kid…military service runs in his family. And the story about him donating the kidney…that’s the kind of people the Plouhars are,? he said.
Hoganson said his daughter and her ex-husband were stationed in North Carolina at the same time as Raymond.
‘They went to the Marine Ball with Ray and his wife,? said Hoganson. ‘When I called my daughter to tell her the news, she just sobbed. She said Raymond was one of the nicest guys she’d ever met in her life.?
Cindy and Ray expressed their gratitude to the community for all that’s been done in the wake of their son’s death.
‘People just know,? Cindy said. ‘The donations, the cards from out of state, the phone calls. It’s just overwhelming.?
‘The response of Lake Orion…,? Ray said, ‘There’s no place I’d rather live.?
Anyone who would like to remember Staff Sergeant Raymond Plouhar by making a donation to the trust fund set up for his children at National City Bank, can mail a deposit to National City Bank, 3111 Baldwin Road, Lake Orion, MI 48359, account number 114779585.