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‘Nonhostile’ Iraq death examined

Officials are investigating the April 16 death in Iraq of a Hawaii-based Marine.

Lance Cpl. Ray A. Spencer II, 20, of Ridgecrest, Calif., died as a result of a “nonhostile incident” in Anbar province, according to the Defense Department. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines, out of Kaneohe Bay.

The military has not said how Spencer died. A friend told Spencer’s widow that her husband died from a gunshot wound, according to a report in the Bakersfield Californian.

“They’ve told us probably as much as they’ve told you,” Athena Spencer told the newspaper. “It was on base, so it wasn’t combat.”

Ray Spencer, a rifleman, joined the Corps in June 2006 and had just deployed to Iraq for the second time in April. His first tour was from August 2007 to February 2008, according to a Marine Corps Base Hawaii statement released Tuesday.

He graduated in 2006 from Burroughs High School in Ridgecrest, Calif., where he was a member of the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, the Californian reported. A former instructor remembered Spencer as charismatic and “a natural leader.”

“He had a great smile and a great sense of humor that probably got him into trouble at times,” George Anderson told the newspaper.

A dignified transfer ceremony took place Sunday night at Dover Air Force Base, Del.