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Keith McCord Reporting,A record 96 Americans have died in Iraq in the month of October, and we've still got a few days to go. Among the latest victims is a Utah seaman.
Vikki Carver: "They were on patrol, they did routine patrols in the cities, looking for insurgents; that was their main assignment."
The sailor who died was Charles Sare. His mother, step-father and brother live in the town of Nibley, in the Cache Valley. He was a medical doctor serving with a Marine Unit. He was sent to Iraq just two months ago.
Vikki Carver says her 23-year old son Charles, was always smiling, always laughing. Photos she has compiled in a scrapbook show a handsome young man saying goodbye following his graduation from boot camp a couple of months ago.
Vikki Carver, Mother: "He was happy; he was fun loving. He had an infectious smile about him. He cared about everybody and people."
Charles was in the Navy, trained in medicine; he ultimately wanted to be a paramedic when he got out of the service. When he completed boot camp, he had the choice to either serve on a ship, or go to combat and provide medical help with the Marines in Iraq.
Vikki Carver: "And because his purpose was to learn as much as he could and experience as much as he could, he chose combat. He felt that that would give him the best opportunities and experiences."
Vikki and her husband Jon learned of Charles' death Tuesday afternoon. Within hours, scout troops and friends planted flags throughout the entire neighborhood in honor of Corpman Sare, who died Monday, while on routine patrol.
Vikki Carver: "He was a passenger in a humvee. He was in the backseat, there was two marines in the front and they drove over an IED and all three were killed."
Jon Carver, Step-Father: "We love our country and support our country, and he was defending us and protecting our freedoms, as well as protecting the Iraqi people who want freedom."
Charles Sare was raised in California; his father still lives there, and he leaves behind a girlfriend as well.
Vikki Carver, Mother: "There's no regrets. I know he has no regrets, and we as a family don't have any regrets as to what's happened to him or what he's done."
This was Charles Sare's first tour of duty in Iraq. He would have returned home just four months from now.
Funeral services for Charles Sare are still pending.
