FORT IRWIN, Calif., Aug. 28, 2008 - A hotel named in honor of a fallen soldier was dedicated Aug. 22 in the town of Medina Wasl in the National Training Center's training area, "The Box."
The Lyndon Marcus Jr. International Hotel is named for Pfc. Lyndon A. Marcus Jr., 21, of Long Beach, Calif., who died May 3, 2004, in Balad, Iraq, when his military vehicle left the road and flipped over in a canal. He was assigned to 3rd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division. His brigade commander at the time was then-Col. Dana J.H. Pittard, now Brig. Gen. Pittard, commanding general of NTC and Fort Irwin.
After Brig. Gen. Pittard took command of NTC and Fort Irwin, he learned that Lyndon and Carla Marcus, parents of Pfc. Marcus, work at Fort Irwin. Brig. Gen. Pittard's wife, Lucille, suggested that the hotel be named after Pfc. Marcus. "When the Soldiers come to Fort Irwin to train, the hotel will be a visible symbol that honors their sacrifice," Mrs. Pittard said.
"This hotel will be used as part of the training scenario," Brig. Gen. Pittard said during the dedication. "It is fitting that a hotel that will be used for training honors one of our fallen warriors. It is important to name the hotel after one of our own."
The general said that he had last seen Pfc. Marcus in a dining facility in Iraq on the morning of the accident. "Pfc. Lyndon A. Marcus was a great Soldier and a wonderful young man. We dedicate this hotel in honor of him."
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