Military Releases the Names of 3 Marines Killed in the Murder/Suicide Shooting at Marine Corps Base Quantico … Gunman Sgt. Eusebio Lopez, Two Victims: Lance Cpl. Sara Castromata & Cpl. Jacob Wooley

The Military has released the names of the three US Marines killed in the murder-suicide shooting at the Marine Corps base in Quantico, VA.

The gunman, who later committed suicide, was identified as 25 year old Sgt. Eusebio Lopez of Pacifica, CA.  His two victims were identified as  19 year-old Lance Corporal Sara Castromata of Oakley, CA  and 23 year old Corporal Jacob Wooley of Guntown, MS. A motive remains under investigation; however, some are speculating that there may have been a love -triangle.

Sgt. Eusebio Lopez was reported as being a tactics instructor at the school and his military specialization was as a machine-gunner, the base said. He joined the Marine Corps in May 2006.  Lance Corporal Sara Castromata, who joined the Marines in 2011 and was promoted to her current rank in February 2013 and was serving as a warehouse clerk. Castromata, who joined the Marines in 2011 and was promoted to her current rank in February, was serving as a warehouse clerk.

How tragic, all three individuals were young Marines serving their country, and highly decorated, and with their futures ahead of them …  all came to an end.

From WPTV, The Marine Corps detailed the careers of the victims and the gunman:

– Lance Cpl. Sara Castromata, 19, of Oakley, California, served as a warehouse clerk. She joined the Marines in 2011 and was promoted to her current rank in February. Her awards include the National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and Good Conduct Medal.

– Cpl. Jacob Wooley, 23, of Guntown, Mississippi, was a field radio operator. He joined the Marines in 2010 and was promoted in July. Wooley’s awards include the Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.

– Sgt. Eusebio Lopez, 25, of Pacifica, California, was a tactics instructor at the base’s Officer Candidates School and specialized as a machine-gunner. He joined the Marines in 2006 and received at least 10 awards, including the Combat Action Ribbon and the Humanitarian Service Medal. He had deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Three Marines Dead: An Active Duty Marine Kills Two FelloW Marines at Quantico, Then Takes Own Life

Three people who died were identified as US  Marine are dead in Quantico, VA. The shootings, murder-suicide, took place late on Thursday night at approximately 10:30 pm near the Officer Candidate School at the Marine Corps Base.  An active duty Marine shot dead two other Marines, before the suspect took his own life. According to FOX News, a male Marine killed a male and female colleague in a shooting at a base in northern Virginia before killing himself. One Marine was found dead at a barracks. A second victim was later found dead, along with the body of the suspected gunman, who died of self-inflicted gunshot wound.

An active-duty Marine shot dead two fellow service members at a base at Quantico, Virginia, then barricaded himself in a building and killed himself, prompting a brief lockdown of the base, the Marines said on Friday.

The shootings took place late on Thursday near the Officer Candidate School at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, and all three people who died were identified as Marines, Marines spokesman Sergeant Christopher Zahn said.

Zahn, who is based at Quantico, could give no details as to a motive for the shootings.

“The investigation is in the very early stages,” he said.

“An isolated shooting incident has occurred at Officer Candidate School, Quantico,” the base separately said on its Facebook page. “The suspect has been barricaded by law enforcement personnel.”

Quantico FaceBook

UPDATE I: ABC News quoted a military official as saying the suspect had been identified as a staff member at the cadet school, as was one of the victims. ABC also said that the second person killed was a female Marine found dead in the barracks, but gave no further details.

UPDATE II: As per the WAPO, Three Marines die in shootings at Quantico …. suspect never barricaded himself prior to suicide.

The shooter gunned down a male Marine before seizing a female Marine and killing her, then himself, officials said.

The shootings happened in the Taylor Hall barracks at the school located on the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Va., at about 11 p.m., said the base commander, Col. David W. Maxwell.

He told reporters that all three of the Marines were staffers at the school and that all officer candidates there were safe and accounted for.

Maxwell denied earlier reports that the suspect barricaded himself inside the barracks in a standoff with authorities before committing suicide. He said there was no barricade situation.

SHAMELESS EXPLOITATION … Harry Reid Implies Sequestration Caused Explosion That Killed 7 Marines In Nevada (VIDEO)

SHAMEFUL, SIMPLY SHAMEFUL … DEMOCRATS USE THE DEATH OF SEVEN US MARINES FOR THEIR POLITICAL AGENDA.

Democrat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid implies that sequestration was responsible for seven US Marines killed in Nevada. Far be it from Democrats to not exploit a tragedy for their own political agenda. Yesterday, on the Senate floor this morning, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) had the audacity to imply the explosion that killed seven Marines at an ammunitions depot in Hawthorne, NV was due to the “cutting back in training and maintenance” because of  sequester.

Mr. President, it’s very important we continue training our military, so important. But one of the things in sequester is we cut back in training and maintenance. That’s the way sequester was written. Now, the bill that’s on the floor, we hope to pass today helps that a little bit. At least in the next six months, it allows the military some degree of ability to move things around a little bit. Flexibility, we call it, and that’s good. But we have to be very vigilant. This sequester should go away. We have cut already huge amounts of money in deficit reduction. It’s just not appropriate, Mr. President, that our military can’t train and do the maintenance necessary.

These men and women, our Marines were training there in Hawthorne. And with this sequester, it’s going to cut back this stuff. I just hope everyone understands the sacrifices made by our military. They are significant, being away from home, away from families, away from their country.

The VIDEO is available at Real Clear Politics.

Do Democrats have any shame? Seven American Marines are dead and the top ranking Democrat Senator could not even wait for the names of these American heroes to be announced and he was using their death for politician gain. This is just one of many examples of how Democrats have played politics with the sequestration. Needless to say, the US Marines are furious with US Senator Harry Reid (D-NV). How are individuals like this voted back into office?  Could Democrats get any lower than to politicize the death of America’s bravest who risk their lives to defend our freedom and liberties?

A Barack Obama Anti-Military World: Dishonored and Disrespected … Obama Disarmed US Marines at Inaugural Parade

HOW DISRESPECTFUL …

I guess this must be a new Barack Obama administration policy? According to the Examiner, Barack Obama disarmed the US Marines at the Inaugural parade this year. Isn’t that special? US Marines marched in the parade with rifles that had the bolts taken out of. In other words, they might as well have had been marching with 2×4′s or brooms.  Who knew with DC’s strict gun laws that even Marines could not carry weapons? It is hard to imagine that dishonoring the Marine Corps. is a parade policy. As stated by Bob Owens, is it possible that Obama doesn’t trust the very men who put their lives on the line to serve their country. With all that this president has done, I guess it’s not too hard to believe.

Marines march to honor the president, who honors them in return by requiring them to march with clubs. Credit: United States Marine Corps

“Didn’t know the Marines had to take the bolts out of their rifles for the Inaugural,” an email forwarded to Gun Rights Examiner from a United States Marine Corps source observed. “Wonder if someone can explain why [they] would be marching in the inaugural parade with no bolts in their rifles!”

The email linked to a YouTube video of the 57th Presidential Inaugural Parade, embedded in this column, featuring Bravo Company Marines from the Marine Barracks Washington. Sure enough, the observation in the email is confirmed by watching the video, with screen shots provided in the photo and slide show accompanying this article.

This prompted an internet search to see if others had also noticed, and the Blur-Brain blog had.

“The bolts have been removed from the rifles rendering them unable to fire a round,” the post stated. “Apparently Obama’s Secret Service doesn’t trust the USMC. Simply searching each guy to make sure he didn’t have a live round hidden on him wasn’t enough, they had to make sure the guns were inoperable.

As seen in the VIDEO below courtesy of Nice Deb, I guess Barack Obama has sour grapes with Marines over the fact that they are a bit more energetic when it came to George W. Bush being their Commander in Chief, rather than Barack Hussein Obama. LOL, what was that when Obama was introduced? I have heard golf claps louder than that. This is what happens when soldiers realize that a president is a Campaigner in Chief and Community agitator, only using the military for photo-ops, rather than a Commander in Chief.

Most Touching & Heart Warming VIDEO Ever … 6 Year Old Michael With Cerebral Palsy Walks to His U.S. Marine Father for the First Time … A Family of Heroes

Duty, Honor, Commitment … Welcome Home Marine and God Bless your family and your heroic son Michael!!!

Kleenex Alert … This might be the most heart warming video ever. If you can watch the following video without getting choked up you might want to check to see if you have a heart. Like father, like son … both with the heart of a champion and a Marine. God Bless!!! Truly, a family of HEROES!!!

 From the Welcome Home blog …

“When my husband left on his deployment, our 6-year-old son could not walk on his own. He has cerebral palsy. Doctors originally said that he would never walk or do much of anything. While daddy was away, he learned to walk. For his homecoming, we set it up for Michael to walk to his daddy for the first time ever! We kept the fact that he could walk a secret the whole time his dad was gone!”

-Melissa C.

It is debatable who was provided the greater gift, a Marine dad coming home or a Marine dad’s son walking for the first time to his dad. We have covered so many horrific, tragic and sad stories that have hardened us to so much. Sorry, I watch this video over and over and tear up every time.