2 Who Honored Flag in Life Now Honored by It in Death

They were killed half a world away, and yesterday two casualties of the war in Afghanistan were honored in ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery.

Marine Lance Cpl. Julian Brennan was buried in Section 60 of the cemetery, alongside many of the casualties from Iraq and Afghanistan, just hours after Army Sgt. Ezra Dawson was laid to rest a few feet away. They were the 85th and 86th casualties of the war in Afghanistan to be buried at Arlington.

Brennan, 25, of Brooklyn, N.Y., died Jan. 24 while supporting combat operations in the Farah province of Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force based at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

"The only way I think I can describe myself is as a guy who will go out of his way to make someone laugh, write a great song, find a reason to dance, and watch the sun rise every chance he gets," he wrote on his MySpace page.

Brennan described himself as interested in theater, movies, music and acting. Although he indulged those passions, he was ultimately drawn to serve.

A grandfather, Lt. Col. James Brennan, died in March 2005. The elder Brennan survived Iwo Jima and was awarded a Navy Cross, and when he was laid to rest at Arlington Cemetery, his grandson kissed the coffin.

"That was the transformative event for Jules," Bill Brennan, Julian's father, told the New York Daily News last week.

Hundreds of family members and friends assembled at Arlington as Brennan was given full Marine honors just across Bradley Drive from his grandfather's grave. So many mourners packed the cemetery's access roads that they were still arriving well into the service, straining to see over one another.

Flags were touched to the small wooden box containing Brennan's cremated remains before being handed to his parents and wife. The three were also presented with shell casings from 21 shots fired during the service.

In 2007, Brennan surprised his parents with the announcement that he had joined the Marines. They were surprised again when they learned after his death that he had married his fiancee, Bettina Beard, before shipping out, his father told the Daily News. He had met Beard while attending the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York.

The Brennan family, opposed to the Iraq war and uncertain about the war in Afghanistan, didn't anticipate sending a child to either conflict, his mother, Thya Merz, told the New York Times.

"You follow your heart as far as you can, but where it brings you doesn't always make rational sense," Merz told the Times.