A Marine from Tulsa died Friday in Iraq, where he'd been stationed since September, the Marines and his family said Sunday.

Lance Cpl. Jordan Winkler, a 2003 graduate of Union High School, died at Bravo Surgical Company at Camp Fallujah, Iraq, but a spokesman for his family and a spokeswoman for the Marine Corps would not release any information about the circumstances of his death.

The 19-year-old joined the Marines on the delayed entry program during his senior year, Scott Richardson, a family friend, said during a press conference outside the family's home Sunday.

Richardson, a former Navy recruiter, said Winkler came to him and asked his advice about military service, specifically the Marines. Richardson said he told him the truth about service.

"He didn't enter the military with stars in his eyes, I'll tell you that," Richardson said.

Richardson described Winkler as "proud" and said a recent letter he received from Winkler was "positive."

He said recent letters from Winkler to his family mentioned future plans. Richardson said the family is very close.

He said if he could sum up Winkler in one work it would be "integrity."

"He was a very quiet young man, very honest," he said.

The family, who asked for privacy, did not attend the press conference, but released a statement through Richardson.

"Jordan was a dedicated Marine who was proud to be in Iraq serving his country and doing his job as a Marine," the family said. "We will miss him more than words can say. However, we know we will see him again. Jordan Winkler was a Christian and knew that no matter what happened in his life, God was always in control."

Capt. Jennifer Morse of the Marine Corps was at the press conference and said her office would be handling any further information about Winkler. She informed the family of Winkler's death.

She said in a press release that the Marines are still investigating his death.

Winkler was a wrestler while at Union High School and won the most improved award for increasing his wins by 22 percent in 2003, according to an article on student athletic achievement on the school district's Web site.

Winkler's family has not yet made funeral arrangements.

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Amber Wilson 581-8325
amber.wilson@tulsaworld.com

Jordan Winkler knew he would be a military man long before he arrived in Paul Todd's class in the 2002-2003 school year.

"He seemed to know where he was, where he was going and how he was going to get there," said Todd, a retired Marine of 30 years who now teaches classes at Union High School covering world history and 20th century wars.

Winkler, a student in the 20th century wars class, felt comfortable opening up to Todd, and visited with him several times after Winkler graduated in 2003 and followed in his footsteps in the 1st Marine Division.

Todd said he was struck by Winkler's motivation for joining the Marines. He wasn't concerned about the compensation, the military hardware or even his day-to-day duties.

"He was more intrigued about the humanistic side," Todd said. "He said he was going over there to help people out."

Lance Cpl. Jordan Winkler ultimately gave his life on Nov. 26, when he died at Bravo Surgical Company at Camp Fallujah, Iraq, the Marines reported Sunday.

His family and a spokeswoman for the Marine Corps locally have not released any information regarding the circumstances of his death.

The daily list of casualties released Monday night by the Defense Department said Winkler died in a noncombat incident at Camp Fallujah. He was assigned to the Combat Service Support Battalion 1, Combat Service Support Group 11, 1st Force Service Support Group, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Family friend Scott Richardson said Sunday that Winkler entered the Marines through a delayed entry program during his senior year.

Todd said that Winkler came to him seeking advice as to which branch of the military to enter. Though Todd spent three decades as a Marine, he didn't let his biases sway his counsel.

"I told him 'you've got to see what branch is tailored for you,'" Todd said.

Union students who knew Winkler said his decision was never in doubt. Mindy McCreary knew him from his time on the wrestling team, where he won the most improved award for 2003.

"He was dedicated to being a Marine," said McCreary, a 2004 graduate, former wrestling team manager and member of the wrestling cheer team. "He was dedicated in everything he did."

Todd said he saw the making of a Marine in his class during group assignments. "He led quite well, and people followed him," Todd said. "He thought well on his feet and was a good organizer."

But McCreary said Winkler was never brash or arrogant.

"He was quiet and really sweet," McCreary said. "He was very respectful."

Winkler was not the first Union alumnus killed during the Iraq conflict. Air Force Capt. John J. Boria, 29 and a 1993 Union graduate, died in September from injuries he received in a noncombat, all-terrain vehicle accident in Doha, Qatar.

At least 20 people with direct ties to Oklahoma have died in the Middle East since the war began in March 2003.

Funeral arrangements for Winkler are pending.

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Robert Evatt 581-8847
robert.evatt@tulsaworld.com

Funeral services for Marine Lance Cpl. Jordan D. Winkler are scheduled for noon Saturday at Living Oaks Baptist Church, 8855 E. 91st St.

Winkler, 19, died Nov. 26 at Camp Fallujah, Iraq.

Visitation will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday at Moore's Southlawn Funeral Home, with interment at Memorial Park Cemetery.

Winkler is survived by his parents, Steven and Lenora Winkler, and his sister Breynna Winkler.

Memorial donations may be made in Winkler's name to Toys for Tots, the American Red Cross or the Living Oaks Baptist Church Memorial Fund.

FALLEN MARINE REMEMBERED FOR LOVE OF SERVICE

THOSE WHO KNEW TULSAN JORDAN WINKLER SAY HE DIED WHILE LIVING OUT A DREAM.

By Brian Barber, World Staff Writer

From "The Tulsa World," Sunday, December 5, 2004
Section A, Page 10

The first letter that Jordan Winkler received from the Marine Corps is still taped to his bedroom wall in his parents' Tulsa home.

Winkler was only 15 when he received the letter that thanked him for his interest and said the Marines would be looking forward to recruiting him when he got a bit older.

Four years later, Winkler was living out his dream as a Marine lance corporal when he died Nov. 26 in a noncombat incident at Camp Fallujah in Iraq.

Hundreds filled Living Oaks Baptist Church on Saturday for his funeral and recalled a young man with a mission.

"This might be a new situation for those of you who are young," Pastor Chris Smith said. "But this is not new for America.

"Many generations of young men and women have died serving our country and preserving the freedom we enjoy. Jordan has joined those proud ranks."

Winkler became a Marine through a delayed-entry program during his senior year at Union High School in 2003.

Although he encountered many obstacles during his training, some said, that only made him more determined.

It was the same determination he displayed while participating in football, rugby and wrestling, said those who knew him.

"Jordan wasn't the type to give in," the pastor said. "He took his decision to become a Marine and the oath that went along with it very seriously."

His parents, Steven and Lenora Winkler, said his younger sister, Breynna Winkler, sat on the front row in the church.

Before he was sent to Iraq in September, he promised his sister he would return in time for her high school graduation.

A family said that if Breynna Winkler happened to trip on that occasion, it would be her brother letting her know he was still with her.

Winkler was buried at Tulsa's Memorial Park Cemetery with military honors. The circumstances of his death are still under investigation.

Memorial donations may be made in Winkler's name to Toys for Tots, the American Red Cross or the Living Oaks Baptist Church Memorial Fund.

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Brian Barber 581-8322
brian.barber@tulsaworld.com

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