April 13, 2004 > Candlelight Vigil held for Slain Marine Lance Cpl. Travis J. Layfield

by Reshma Yunus

Hundreds of people, family, friends, former classmates, teachers, fellow marines, firemen, police officers, elected officials and community members gathered at a candlelight vigil for Lance Cpl. Travis J. Layfield on April 9th, 2004. The vigil was held at 7 p.m. near the main flagpole at Travis Layfield's former high school, Washington High on Fremont Blvd. It ended shortly after dusk with the lighting of hundreds of candles as attendees honored and remembered Travis Layfield, slain barely a year after graduation.

Layfield was killed in action in Iraq, in Anbar province, on April 6th, 2004, the first local resident to die in Iraq since the war began over a year ago.

Friends, teachers and family members recounted Travis Layfield's desire to serve his country and his love for the Marine Corps. A friend, Cassie, who dated him during the early part of high school, summed up the thoughts of the attendees when she said, " he talked about being a Marine the whole time I was with him; he died doing what he had set out to do and no matter what, he went down a hero, God bless him."