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Raymond Plouhar

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SSgt Raymond J. Plouhar United States Marine Corps
May 26, 1976(1976-05-26) – June 26, 2006 (aged 30)
Raymond Plouhar in the 2004 movie, Fahrenheit 9/11.
Place of birth	Lake Orion, Michigan
Place of death	Anbar Province, Iraq
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Marine Corps
Years of service	1995 - 2006
Rank	Staff Sergeant
Unit	3rd Battalion, 5th Marines
Battles/wars	Iraq War
Awards	Purple Heart

Plouhar was acting as a recruiter for the Marine Corps at the time he was filmed by Moore, whose film portrayed Plouhar attempting to enlist recruits in Moore's hometown of Flint, Michigan. At the time, Plouhar was then taking time off from active duty in the wake of his having donated a kidney to an uncle.^[1] Plouhar's father reported that his son willingly allowed himself to be filmed, and was unaware that Moore was making a film critical of the Iraq War.^[2] Other Marines filmed in the segment claimed they were deceived, saying they were not told that the filming was associated with Moore, or would be used to criticize their activities. They did not make explicit whether they had asked the purpose of the film; however, the Marines indicated that Moore's crew represented themselves as a New York based television production company, Westside Productions, interested in making a small documentary on high school career choices.^[3]

A ten-year veteran of the Marine Corps, Plouhar was an infantry unit leader assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force out of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. He had been part of a unit engaged in projects to rebuild and revitalize schools in Iraq. He reportedly had 38 days left on his tour of duty at the time of his death.^[2] He is survived by his wife and two children.^[4]


MARINE SSGT RAYMOND PLOUHAR, R.I.P. By Michelle Malkin  •  June 28, 2006 02:21 PM

The DoD announced today the death of Staff Sgt. Raymond J. Plouhar, 30, of Lake Orion, Mich.:

Plouhar died June 26 from wounds received while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Plouhar was exploited by Michael Moore in his crockumentary, Fahrenheit 9/11:

A U.S. Marine and one-time recruiter who appeared in Michael Moore’s acclaimed documentary “Fahrenheit 9/11″ has died in a roadside bombing in Iraq.

Although Staff Sgt. Raymond J. Plouhar willingly appeared in a segment of the 2004 film, his father, Raymond, said Tuesday that his son didn’t realize that it was for a movie critical of the war.

Raymond Plouhar said that all his 30-year-old son ever wanted to do was serve his country.

“I remember when he fell in the bathtub and cut his chin when he was 6 years old, and the only way I could get him to go to the hospital was to tell it was a MASH unit,” Raymond Plouhar said. “I’m proud that my son wanted to protect the freedom of this country whether we all agree with the war or not.”

The younger Plouhar died Monday of wounds suffered while conducting combat operations in the Al Anbar province of Iraq, the Defense Department announced Tuesday.

Plouhar, of Lake Orion, about 30 miles north of Detroit, was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, First Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton, Calif.

He signed up for the Marines immediately after graduating from Lake Orion High School, where he wrestled and played football, his father said in a telephone interview.

The 57-year-old Plouhar said his son took four years off from active duty to serve as a recruiter in Flint after donating one of his kidneys to his uncle.

During that time, the Marine was filmed as part of “Fahrenheit 9/11,” about the Bush administration’s actions after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The 10-year Marine’s sister and grandfather served in the Army. He had only 38 days left in Iraq and had been there a little more than four months during his most recent tour, his family said.

“I’m devastated, sad and proud,” Plouhar said of his only son. “This just makes me devoted even more to his belief that people need help in Iraq, and he felt that he was helping.”

He said his son was teased a lot as a young kid and protected people as he grew up.

“He liked to protect the underdog,” the father said. “All of his buddies from school called saying, `He was my friend when nobody else would be.’”

More on Plouhar’s kidney donation:

As a highly skilled marksman, he is trained to make split-second decisions in life and death situations. Likewise, he did not hesitate to react when he received the news of a family member in distress..

Second Marine Division’s Sgt. Raymond J. Plouhar decided to give the gift of life – - in the form of one of his kidneys – - to his uncle, Tim Kennedy.

The sergeant from Surveillance, Target and Acquisition Platoon, Weapons Company, 2d Battalion, 2d Marine Regiment, was home on leave for Easter 1998, when his mother told him of his uncle’s hospitalization.

Kennedy, a husband and father of two girls, was diagnosed with renal kidney failure, a potentially life-ending disease that required an organ transplant, according to Plouhar.

“As soon as I found out, I offered to be tested [as a donor],” said the Lake Orion, Mich., Marine.

Plouhar’s wife, Leigh, was hesitant about his eagerness to donate at first.

Leigh’s concern centered on her own immediate family – - her husband and their toddler, Raymond.

“It took her a few months to agree,” said Plouhar. “I explained to her that when they’re in need, you help family. That’s the way I was raised.”

The Marine’s command also ensured that he understood the repercussions of organ donation.

Plouhar sought the advice of his platoon sergeant at the time, Staff Sgt. Greg S. Tyler, now a scout/sniper instructor at Stone Bay.

“I told him to think of his family first,” said Tyler of Santa Ynez, Calif. “I reminded him that this could affect the rest of his life.”

“They (his command) were really supportive,” Plouhar said.

He was also advised that he might be charged convalescent leave and would incur all medical costs if complications occurred. Additionally, he was advised that if he died during or after the operation, he would forfeit his serviceman’s group life insurance benefits.

The infantryman knew the risks associated with the procedure and conducted his own feasibility assessment. He researched the disease and consulted with a U.S. Naval medical officer to preclude a hereditary condition.

“At age five, my dad lost a kidney, but has since lived a healthy life,” he said in defense of his rational. “If I do develop problems later in life, donors in Michigan are considered top candidates for organ replacement.”

Later in 1998, the II Marine Expeditionary Force Commanding General granted approval shortly before Plouhar deployed to the Mediterranean region with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit.

The transplant was performed Jan. 9, which coincidentally is Plouhar’s grandmother’s birthday.

Plouhar was quoted in the Marine Corps News when the 3/5 deployed in January of this year:

Although the thought of being away from their loved ones wasn’t favorable, Operation Iraq Freedom veteran Staff Sgt. Raymond J. Plouhar said, “The job needs to be done.”

God bless this remarkable Marine and his family.

i will live, i will fight, i will kill, i will die

i come to countries in far off lands

do not judge me for what i do

i will kill for those who cannot kill

i will leave my loved ones, my kids, my wife

i have seen and done things that will haunt my dreams

do not feel pity for me, for this is my choice

i will die on my feet, i will not live on my knees

this is me this is who i am 

-Sgt. Raymond Plouhar- 

Marine remembered for his generosity

July 8, 2006

BY LORI HIGGINS

FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

Leigha Plouhar, center, watches as Marines carry her husband's casket Friday at the funeral at Lake Orion High School. Marine Staff Sgt. Raymond Plouhar, a 1996 Lake Orion High School graduate, was killed in combat in Iraq last month and buried with full military honors. Hundreds turned out for the funeral service. (Photos by HUGH GRANNUM/Detroit Free Press)

Raymond J. Plouhar's funeral was a celebration.

Of the life he chose. Of the sacrifices he made. Of the impact he had.

"He gave his uncle a kidney, and he died for his country. That sums it up right there," said Tammy Brown, a former coworker of Cynthia Plouhar, U.S. Marine Staff Sgt. Raymond Plouhar's mother.

Sgt. Plouhar, 30, a 1996 graduate of Lake Orion High School and a father of two, was killed in combat June 26 by an improvised explosive device in Iraq.

Hundreds of people filled the auditorium at Lake Orion High School on Friday morning for his funeral. Outside, dozens holding American flags lined the school's driveway.

His family, many of them weeping, quickly filed into waiting limousines.

And as the funeral procession was led away from the high school by a group of motorcyclists, McKinnon folded up the flag he had been holding. He came to the funeral because he and Sgt. Plouhar shared a mutual friend, and because he's a Marine veteran. Just this week, he signed up to join the Patriot Guard.

"We like to be out here to support our country," McKinnon said of the Patriot Guard, mostly made up of motorcyclists who travel to the funerals of fallen troops nationwide to shield families from protesters and to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Sgt. Plouhar was a platoon leader assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force based at Camp Pendleton, Calif. He left behind sons Raymond, 9, and Michael, 5, and a wife, Leigha, whom he called "my biggest hero" on his MySpace.com Web page.

There, he also wrote about both of his tours in Iraq, saying: "You can call me crazy but I like," coming to Iraq. Someone "has to do it, plus I love what I do."

Though he didn't know Sgt. Plouhar, Scott Marks of Los Angeles, who was visiting relatives in Pontiac, said it was important for him to attend the funeral.

"The Marine Corps is my fraternity. When I see a Marine, I speak to him. And when one falls, a part of you falls, because he's your buddy. It touches you," said Marks, a Marine veteran whose relatives live next to Sgt. Plouhar's grandmother.

Sgt. Plouhar had been scheduled to return home from Iraq at the end of this month. Last year, his work as a Marine recruiter was featured in Michael Moore's film "Fahrenheit 9/11," which was critical about the Bush administration's actions after the 9/11 attacks. It was an appearance he hated, his family has said. And the Marines accused the movie's production company of duping Sgt. Plouhar's recruiting unit into cooperating.

But Mary Cottrill, a family friend, said he may best be known for his friendly personality and giving nature. He described himself online as having interests in the outdoors.

"But my biggest interests have to be my wife and kids. They are my life, that might sound kinda corney but it's true," he wrote.

Cottrill knew Sgt. Plouhar's mother through their work with Lake Orion Community Schools. She heard of the sacrifice he made in donating a kidney to his uncle. Cottrill, a bus driver for the district, met Sgt. Plouhar several years ago at his grandmother's funeral.

"He was making sure he made the rounds and he talked to everyone," Cottrill said Friday.

In addition to his wife and sons, he is survived by parents Cynthia and Raymond Plouhar Sr.; sisters Toni Plouhar and Marie Martinez, and grandmother Shirley Kennedy.