Akron church members eulogize Marine

 

Published April 20, 2005
By Jim Carney
Beacon Journal staff writer

U.S. Marine Cpl. Michael B. Lindemuth lived in Akron for only eight months, but he made a big impression.

``What I remember is how really giving he was,'' said Pastor David Wright, director of young singles at The Chapel in Akron.

``He always went out of his way to help other people,'' Wright said.

Lindemuth, 27, originally from Petoskey, Mich., was serving his second tour of duty in Iraq when he died in April 2005 of wounds from enemy mortar fire at Camp Hit, Al Anbar Province. He also had served in Kosovo.

An active-duty Marine, Lindemuth came to Akron when assigned to the inspector/instructor staff of the Akron Marine Reserve unit, Weapons Company 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division.

In addition to The Chapel, he attended services at Evangel Temple for about four months, Pastor Tim Alcorn said.

``He definitely enjoyed being a Marine,'' Alcorn said.

And he talked about a pickup truck he had just purchased, Alcorn said.

Maj. Jenny Potter, site commander for Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines at the Akron Marine Reserve Center on Dan Street, said Lindemuth ``was the kind of guy who would help others out'' on a moment's notice.

For example, she said, ``when a member of the site support staff had to get to Pennsylvania to accomplish some business with a car, Cpl. Lindemuth was the one who drove him all the way out there and back again.''

And when another Marine moved into a new home in Akron, it was Lindemuth who was there to help, she said.

He enjoyed soccer and woodworking and spoke of becoming a carpenter after his enlistment in the Marines, she said.

Lindemuth served as the embarkation noncommissioned officer and training noncommissioned officer for the inspector-instructor staff in Akron and as a squad leader and javelin gunman with Akron's Weapons Company, Potter said.

Before he left for Iraq, Lindemuth had a conversation with Wright.

``He told me how much it meant to him to be part of this group of Christians,'' Wright said.

``He was trying to live the Christian life in the choices he made.''

Lindemuth ``impacted a lot of people's lives in a short period of time,'' Wright said.