Stars and Stripes throughout Cumberland County flew at half-staff Tuesday honoring Lance Cpl. Harry Swain IV. Swain was killed in combat Monday in Iraq. American flags hang over a photograph of the late Harry Swain IV, a former employee at the Holly City Deli on 10th and Broad Streets in Millville.

MILLVILLE -- Awaiting the results of their historic election, liberated Iraqis celebrate freedom.

But local residents are grappling with its cost.

Lance Cpl. Harry Swain IV of Millville, killed in action Monday, was remembered as hero: A Marine who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom. He died beside two fellow Marines as a result of hostile action in Babil Province, south of Baghdad.

Promoting democracy was a mission the 21-year-old took seriously. He made it his way of life, enlisting immediately after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.

He had been in Iraq for more than two years total and was on his second tour of duty.

Last year, Swain e-mailed his father, Vineland Police Sgt. Harry Swain III, from the front line.

"I wish I could tell you where we're at, and what we're doing, but I can't. However, once I get home, I'll tell you everything cause then it won't matter anymore," the e-mail stated.

This year opened with his family, including Swain's mother, Debbie Lago, knowing where he was headed.

Harry's homecoming was less than two weeks away.

He had an online chat Saturday with his family and told his sisters he loved them. He had plans to get together with his high school buddy and best friend, Chris Weiss of Millville.

Then came the ominous signs. Military casualties were reported.

Mayor Jim Quinn learned the Marines were in Millville for a notification.

Now a city that is well acquainted with the sorrow of losing a hometown hero -- Air Force Staff Sgt. Thomas A. Walkup Jr. died in Afghanistan in November 2003 -- finds itself mourning again.

Flags throughout the city were flown at half-staff out of respect.

"I feel so bad for his family," Quinn said. "It's a tremendous loss."

The news came the very day the Reindeer Brigade was to mail its care boxes to troops overseas. The Christmas treats were delayed because donations continued to pour in.

Last month, Vineland Police Sgt. Lene Bowers was cornering her colleagues at the station and good-naturedly shaking them down for contributions.

The proceeds were spent at BJ's Wholesale Club, filling three supersized shopping carts. Bowers and Tarabbio focused on food so the packages would give the military personnel a literal taste of home.

Bowers made sure a box was addressed to Sgt. Swain's sons, Harry and Jaymes, both in Iraq. Everything was packed up, labeled and ready to go to the post office Monday.

That delivery was suspended when Tarabbio saw the headlines. Instead, she searched the pile for the parcel addressed Lance Cpl. Harry Swain.

"I never thought I would have to remove a box," she said, her voice breaking.

News vans clustered outside Millville Senior High School, where Harry was a member of the Class of 2001.

Several teachers recalled the young man who walked the school corridors with his earphones hanging around his neck. Back then, students could still do that. Now, it's prohibited.

Stephanie Tomlin, Swain's German teacher, remembered him as "quiet and reserved."

"He was a voracious reader," she recalled.

The death of the young man in a war she questions filled her with a sense of loss.

"To me, it's Vietnam all over again," Tomlin said.

Joan Cooper, Swain's physical education teacher, was unaware of Swain's death until she spotted his photo on the newspaper's front page when she arrived at work.

"I just froze," she said, placing her hand on her heart.

The picture showed a stern man in his military dress blue uniform.

But Cooper pictured him as he was in class. He wore a distinct, chin-length hairstyle and black T-shirts promoting bands she didn't know.

In the yearbook, it's noted Swain was a member of the Bowling Club and Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD).

He planned to become a psychoanalyst.

But then 9/11 happened. It changed the course of his life.

"He was committed," Cooper said, noting it was not his way to be loud and aggressive. "He had a real passion."

Cooper also sensed the loss as a mother. Her son, Tadd, who is about the same age as Swain, is away at West Chester University. She planned to call him Tuesday evening just to hear his voice.

Around the corner from the school at Holly City Cold Cuts and Deli, there was a miniature memorial on the display counter. Under a photo of the fallen Marine, it noted Swain was a former deli employee and urged patrons to "please remember him and his family."

Donna Eisenlohr, a partner in the family deli, could still picture Swain behind the counter, making her laugh with his odd sense of humor.

He worked there through high school and right up until the week he left for boot camp.

Deli co-owner Carolyn Weiss readily admits Swain got the job through connections. He was best friends with her son, Chris, and spent enough time in her house to qualify as a second son.

"We hired Harry," Eisenlohr teased. "We inherited Jaymes."

Jaymes followed his older brother, taking over counter duties when Harry left for military service.

Chris Weiss remembered when Harry graduated from boot camp, he asked his mother to bring him peanut butter so he could have a peanut butter sandwich. He had an all-American palate.

Soon, Jaymes followed his brother into the Marine Corps and eventually to Iraq.

Now Jaymes is heading home.

Harry Swain III was able to reach his youngest son through the American Red Cross. The young Marine called home and it fell to his mother to inform him of his brother's death.

The family is hoping Jaymes, 19, will not have to return to the front line.

The elder Swain was on funeral leave from the police department Tuesday. Chief Mario Brunetta said it could be up to a week before funeral services are held.

"This is a very trying time for the Swain family, and their life is in turmoil," Brunetta said. "I saw him grow from a decent kid to a fine young man. He made the ultimate sacrifice for what he believed in. He is a hero. All members of the force will provide support to the parents of the young Marine, as much as humanly possible. "

As mayor of Millville, Quinn wants Swain's sacrifice to be acknowledged and honored, just as it was for Walkup.

"This is the kind of thing that we hope and pray never happens," Quinn said. "Our hearts and prayers go out to the family. He fought for his country and what he believed in."

"

He was committed. ... He had a real passion."

-- JOAN COOPER

P.E. TEACHER

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Marine in Iraq told of sibling's death by mom, not military 2/2/05

When Vineland Police Sgt. Harry Swain III learned Monday that one of his two sons serving in Iraq had been killed, he assumed his surviving son would be informed of the death through military authorities.

Swain said he and his ex-wife Deborah Lago waited anxiously through Monday night for a phone call from their son, 19-year-old Jaymes Swain.

Swain and Lago had been informed earlier in the day that their other son, 21-year-old Marine Lance Cpl. Harry Swain IV of Millville, was killed in hostile action along with two other Marines in Iraq's Babil province, about 70 miles south of Baghdad. They hoped to hear from Jaymes that he was coming home from Iraq.

Siblings serving in combat areas can generally request a transfer out of that area if one sibling is killed, U.S. Department of Defense officials said Tuesday. The requests are handled by the military on a case-by-case basis.

But as the hours crawled on without a call, the parents grew worried about their other son.

Swain said he contacted the American Red Cross to have an emergency call placed to Jaymes, a Marine sniper serving in Fallujah. He said Jaymes learned of his brother's death only after he spoke with Lago at around 5 a.m.

"He was devastated," Swain said Tuesday night. "He said he wants to come home."

Swain was angry the Marines had failed to inform Jaymes immediately of Harry's death.

"I mean, c'mon," Swain said. "He was still going on about his job. Something could have happened to him, too."

A call to Marine public affairs officers Tuesday night was not returned.

Swain said he is waiting to hear from Jaymes about his travel plans back to the United States. He said those plans are being facilitated through the American Red Cross and the offices of Congressman Frank LoBiondo, R-2nd.

A spokesman for LoBiondo said the congressman had spoken with Harry's family and had offered his support, but would not elaborate.

The exact circumstances of Harry's death are still unclear. He was part of the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines.

An update to the Defense Department Web site Tuesday night said Harry was one of three Marines killed during operations in Babil on Monday. But a department spokesman earlier that day said she could not comment on Harry's identity or how he died.

"If it's not on the Web site, we have no comment," said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke. She could not be reached for comment Tuesday night.

Swain said Harry was born in Vineland but moved to Millville with his mother.

He graduated from Millville Senior High School in 2001, and hoped to go to college. But he signed up with the Marine Corps the day after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Joan Cooper, who teaches health, driver's education and physical education at the school, remembers Harry as a quiet but special student.

"He was very clear about how felt about things, and if he disagreed with you he would let you know," Cooper said. "But he was always respectful about it. And he always had a smile."