Friends, brothers in arms remember fallen Marine at public ceremony in Ferndale

FERNDALE - Ten years ago Capt. Daniel Benjamin Bartle graduated from Ferndale High School: He was the class valedictorian, described as a bright but humble young man who would go on to see the world from a helicopter cockpit.

Mourners packed the high school's auditorium to capacity Sunday, Jan. 29, in a public ceremony honoring the fallen Marine, who was killed with five fellow servicemen when his helicopter crashed in the Helmand province of Afghanistan.

At Sunday's ceremony, a crowd of hundreds listened to family, teachers, classmates and brothers in arms speak about a man described again and again as strong, brave and, above all, selfless.

Pat Skaggs, a Ferndale High School math teacher, recalled the Bartle he knew: a scrawny, lovably awkward kid who always seemed to have the right answer.

Skaggs met him in Room 403 at Ferndale High, when Bartle was a 14-year-old wearing big glasses, with a strap to keep them from falling off.

"He took this bright yellow geometry textbook from me, opened it up, leafed through it, looked up the name of the publisher," Skaggs said. "And (he) says, with absolute seriousness, 'I've always been impressed with Addison-Wesley math books.' Wow."

Bartle graduated from high school with a 4.0 grade point average. By the time he arrived at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., said the Marines who were his fellow plebes, he was building himself into a "huge sweating mammoth" of a man.

"He would toss weights around like they were little dolls," said Navy Lt. Kevin Lind, who met Bartle at Annapolis on induction day. "When he would run, he would hurt the Earth."

But Bartle was also gentle and generous. With his $100 monthly stipends he earned at the academy, he would save to buy birthday presents for his nephews and nieces.

The Marines who knew him at the academy remembered him for his sometimes mischievous, mostly charming antics as a college student.

For better or for worse, Bartle loved to break-dance, Lind said. Once, when he was leaving a dance, Bartle carried a woman over his shoulder for 20 minutes because her feet hurt - and because Bartle was a gentleman.

He was an incredible friend, Lind said, who never wanted to be the center of attention, never wanted to be a burden, but was always willing to lend a hand.

"Daniel, I love you," Lind said. "You're my brother, and I am yours. And thank you for being my hero."

Bartle was deployed overseas twice. This time he was due to come home in March.

Details about the Jan. 19 crash that killed him remain foggy, but a mechanical failure aboard the CH-53 Sea Stallion heavy-lift transport was being investigated as the cause, according to the Associated Press. NATO officials said there were no signs of enemy activity in the area at the time.

On Saturday afternoon, Bartle's body arrived at Bellingham International Airport. Dozens of motorcycles, a long train of law enforcement vehicles and two helicopters escorted the hearse carrying his remains through the streets of Bellingham.

Along the four-mile route from the airport to Westford Funeral Home, hundreds of people lined the sidewalks to pay tribute with waving flags and silent salutes.

At the public ceremony Bartle's brother-in-law, John Davis, thanked the Bellingham and Ferndale communities for honoring the fallen Marine.

"The overwhelming show of support has restored my faith in humanity," Davis said.

Gov. Chris Gregoire ordered flags at all state-owned buildings to be lowered to half-staff Tuesday in Bartle's honor. Flags at all Whatcom County buildings had been ordered to half-staff through Monday evening.

A funeral Mass will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday at the Church of the Assumption, 2116 Cornwall Ave. The Mass will be a smaller ceremony, but it's also open to the public.