Jeremy Kane

Rank: Lance Corporal, U.S. Marine Corps

Unit: 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, II Marine Expeditionary Force

Hometown: Cherry Hill, New Jersey

Died: January 23, 2010, Killed in Action, Helmand Province, Afghanistan

Awards: Purple Heart

Lance Corporal Jeremy Kane, 22, of Cherry Hill, was killed on January 23, 2010, when a suicide bomber attacked members of his unit on patrol in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Several other Marines were also injured by the bomber. Kane worked as a scout with the 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion. He was a 2006 graduate of Cherry Hill High School-East and was majoring in criminal justice and political science at Rutgers-Camden. Deeply affected by the 9/11 terrorist attacks, he joined the Marine reserves on September 11, 2006, shortly after enrolling at Towson University in Maryland. He later transferred to Rutgers-Camden to be closer to his family. He had recently lost his father to cancer and as the oldest son in the family wanted to be home to support his mother and brothers, but when his unit was called to Afghanistan, he went proudly. He left for Afghanistan in October 2009; it was his first deployment.

By Kelly Heyboer

CHERRY HILL — When Lance Cpl. Jeremy Kane got word last year that his Marine reserve unit was being called to serve in Afghanistan, his family said he was conflicted.

The Cherry Hill resident had a lot of reasons to want to stay home. In addition to being on the verge of finishing his degree at Rutgers University, Kane had recently lost his father to cancer. As the oldest son in the family, he wanted to be home to support his mother and brothers as they grieved.

But in the end, Kane went to Afghanistan with his unit proudly.

“He felt terrible that it would cause further stress and strain on the family. But this was his commitment and he had to stick to it,” said Melinda Kane, his mother. “He felt that every American had the duty to give back to his country.”

Kane, 22, died Saturday when a suicide bomber attacked members of the Marines’ 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan, his family said this evening.

The young Marine, who worked as a scout, was on patrol with his unit. Several other Marines were also injured by the bomber, his family was told.

Kane is at least the 15th service member with ties to New Jersey to die in Afghanistan since the war began in 2001. Nearly 100 others have died in Iraq since 2003.

Kane was majoring in criminal justice and political science at Rutgers-Camden. He was a 2006 graduate of Cherry Hill High School-East.

His family said he was deeply affected by the 9/11 terrorist attacks and joined the Marine reserves on Sept. 11, 2006, shortly after enrolling at Towson University in Maryland. Kane eventually transferred to Rutgers-Camden, where he could live at home in Cherry Hill and be closer to his family.

He left for Afghanistan in October, his family said. It was his first deployment.

Bryan Adams, an Army veteran and fellow Rutgers student, informed friends and classmates of Kane’s death via Facebook tonight. Adams, president of the campus’ Veterans for Education group, posted a photo on the social networking site of a smiling Kane at a fundraiser in the Rutgers-Camden student center, where he helped raise money for military and veterans’ scholarships.