Last June, we did a feature on the courage of Navy SEAL John Marcum. A few weeks ago, on September 11, 2009, was the first anniversary of Marcum’s death.

John Marcum’s sister, Kaylee Pierle, spoke about her brother last Wednesday, according to a feature on the local ABC website in Michigan. Marcum was a native of Flushing, Michigan.

According to Pierle, Marcum was bent on becoming a Navy SEAL. She recounted how he would go to their pond and swim with weights tied to him in order to prepare himself for the SEAL life. He was very sure of what he wanted to do, and was good at it. He enlisted almost immediately after finishing high school in 1991, and moved up the ranks. At the time of the terrorist attacks in 2001, Marcum had been in the Navy and a SEAL for almost a decade.

As expected, the SEALs were among the elite forces who were sent to Afghanistan after the attacks. Time, indeed, flies so fast, as it has been more than eight years since those first deployments were sent to Afghanistan.

The number 11 seemed to figure prominently in John Marcum’s career. He was reportedly on his 11th deployment since 9/11 in 2001, when he succumbed to injuries sustained while in combat on September 11, 2008. He was, at that time, assigned to the Special Warfare Development Group.

John, she said, “felt strongly” about being able to serve in Afghanistan. Since John felt that way, Pierle said that she also believed that and hold troops serving in Afghanistan in high regard.

In order to keep her brother’s memory alive, there is a John Wayne Marcum Scholarship fund. Those who wish to make donations towards this fund may make it out to Flushing Moose Lodge at 7044 N. Elms Rd in Flushing, Michigan. The words “JWM Scholarship” should be written on the memo line if a check is to be donated.