'Greater Good' Spurred Marine

Victim of Bomb Had Been Humble

Garrett Lawton's parents came with him to the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial in December 1999 when he was commissioned as a Marine second lieutenant. They pinned his bars on and then, per tradition, Lawton proudly presented a silver dollar to the staff sergeant who was the first to salute the new officer.

Yesterday, Lawton's family and friends returned to Arlington to honor him. This time, it was for his burial at Arlington National Cemetery.

Capt. Garrett T. Lawton, 31, died Aug. 4 in Herat Province, Afghanistan, when his vehicle hit a makeshift bomb, family said.

Lawton was born in Beaufort, S.C., but moved to Washington state when he was 2 with his mother and Cal Peters. Peters married Lawton's mother but did not formally adopt the boy out of respect to Lawton's biological father, David Lawton, but Peters said Garrett was his "best friend" and "hero."

"I think it was important to him to contribute," Peters said in an emotional interview this week. "Garrett always talked about the greater good.

"None of us are angry or bitter," Peters said. "When he graduated from college, he said, 'I could never sit in an office with a shirt and tie.' This is exactly what he wanted to do."

Peters said Lawton was a dream child, never arguing or needing to be told twice to do something. Shortly after moving to Washington, Peters joined the Marine Corps. As a result, Lawton lived all over the world, bouncing from Seattle to Virginia, North Carolina, California, Germany and Japan.

Lawton had roots in the Washington, D.C., region, having graduated from Herndon High School in 1995 before receiving dual degrees in mechanical and aerospace engineering from West Virginia University in 1999. But he knew he wanted to be a Marine, family said.

"He didn't do it because of me," Peters said. "He loved flying, and he wanted the Marine Corps. We take some comfort in that."

Lawton was meticulous but never took himself too seriously. He had an infectious laugh and could recite a bevy of movie lines. Despite winning academic awards and being voted "Most Popular" and "Most Likely to Succeed," he was always humble, Peters said.

His humility continued through his service. On May 29, Lawton was wounded trying to save a soldier trapped in a burning car after a rocket-propelled grenade attack in Afghanistan. His arm and face were burned, and he was recommended for the Bronze Star and Purple Heart. But it was only after prodding that he told Peters about it -- a month later.

Lawton served a tour in Iraq in 2005 and had volunteered for the Afghanistan assignment.

But the most important things in his life were his wife and sons, Peters said. He met and married Trisha while in flight school. They were married in November 2001, and their son Ryan was born the next year. Their second son, Caden, followed two years later.

Lawton's final e-mail to Peters came Aug. 2. As with every e-mail they exchanged, Lawton signed off with, "I love you."

"So that's the last thing he said. 'I love you. G,' " said Peters, his voice choked with emotion.

"He was the only man younger than me that I ever looked up to," Peters said. "Everything he did, he did well."