Gloucester County Marine killed in Afghanistan

By Robert Moran, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
Posted: September 29, 2011

A Gloucester County Marine was killed Wednesday during combat operations in Afghanistan, the Defense Department said.

First Lt. Ryan K. Iannelli, 27, died in the Helmand province of Afghanistan. The cause of death was under investigation, the Defense Department said Thursday.

Iannelli, from Clarksboro in East Greenwich Township, was assigned to a Marine helicopter squadron stationed in North Carolina.

He graduated in 2002 from Kingsway Regional High School as class president, his mother, Donna Iannelli, 55, said. He was a member of the National Honor Society and captain of the high school baseball team, she said.

He earned a bachelor's degree in 2006 from Oral Roberts University in Oklahoma.

He "served our Lord and Savior. That's his first love," his mother said.

Iannelli left for Afghanistan on Aug. 14 for his first combat tour, she said. They last spoke by phone on Sunday, and he was upbeat, she said.

His Facebook page shows Iannelli making a silly face in his profile photo. He included a link to a 2008 YouTube video of him floating on an air mattress in floodwaters, clowning most of the time until he slips off the mattress and briefly clings to branches.

"He always made his buddies laugh," his mother said. "He liked to have a good time."

In addition to his mother, he is survived by his father, Kenneth, and his sister, Mandy.

Contact staff writer Robert Moran at 215-854-5983 or bmoran@phillynews.com.

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