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2 more Marines killed in motorcycle wrecks

Two Marines died over the weekend in motorcycle accidents in California and Michigan, civilian authorities said, bringing the number of Marine motorcycle fatalities to at least 10 since Oct. 1.

In California, Pfc. Jack Thurston Kenner, 22, of Twentynine Palms, was killed at about 11:47 a.m. Saturday while traveling east on the San Bernardino Freeway, said Cindy Beavers, spokeswoman for the San Bernardino Sheriff-Coroner’s Office. Investigators said he tried to pass between two vehicles, crashing into one of them.

In Michigan, police said Lance Cpl. Noah Alexander Cole, 25, was killed late Sunday or early Monday after crashing his motorcycle in Allegan County, a largely rural area along the eastern coast of Lake Michigan. His body was found after a motorist spotted his motorcycle off U.S. Route 131 at about 6 a.m. Monday, State Police Sgt. Ken Olney said.

Officials at Camp Pendleton, Calif., released statements late Tuesday mourning the death of both Marines.

Kenner, a St. Louis native, suffered “traumatic upper body injuries” after his motorcycle struck a sport utility vehicle in Upland, Calif., Marine officials said. He was rifleman with 1st Battalion, 7th Marines stationed at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center at Twentynine Palms. He joined the Corps on Feb. 14, 2005, and had deployed twice to Iraq.

Cole was an artilleryman with 1st Battalion, 11th Marines, Marine officials said. He joined the Corps on Oct. 16, 2006, and had deployed once to Iraq.

Cole was killed while on 30-day leave from an Iraq deployment, the Grand Rapids Press of Michigan reported Tuesday. He was based at Camp Pendleton and scheduled to return to Iraq on June 2, the newspaper said, citing interviews with family members. He was last seen by family visiting his grandmother at about 7 p.m. Sunday.

Cole’s mother, Juanita Cole of Martin, Mich., told the Press that Cole had decided to become a Marine after visiting California when he was 8 years old.

“He wanted to be in Southern California, and to do what he needed to be a Marine in Camp Pendleton,” she said. “It was the most impressive thing he’d seen in his life.”

The Associated Press reported that Kenner’s accident snarled traffic on the freeway Saturday for more than two hours. The accident closed three highway lanes and occurred just west of Ontario International Airport, AP said.

The accidents come as the Corps attempts to crack down on the number of Marine traffic fatalities with new private motor vehicle and motorcycle safety rules that hold Marine leaders accountable for accidents, give noncommissioned officers the authority to disapprove leave and liberty and could lead to courts-martial for traffic violations.

Since Oct. 1, more than two dozen Marines have been killed in wrecks, including at least 10 on motorcycles.