Marine gives his life, saves another’s

“Joel Rezendes is alive because Marc’s body blocked the force of the blast,” Guy Glimpse said of his son, Marine Lance Cpl. Marcus Glimpse of Huntington Beach.

Marcus Glimpse, 22, and fellow Marine Joel Rezendes were setting up a roadside checkpoint in the Al Anbar province of Iraq on April 12 when an improvised bomb exploded, killing Glimpse. He is the first military service member from Huntington Beach to die in Iraq.

Rezendes is recuperating from his injuries at home in Seattle, and his mother called to tell the Glimpse family about their son’s heroic act.

Family members gathered April 15 at the home of Patricia Gregg, Marcus’ grandmother, to make arrangements for the funeral Saturday, which was expected to draw about 2,000 people.

The quiet house on Cynthia Drive, facing LeBard Park in southeast Huntington Beach, was bustling inside. It’s a home, much-lived-in and laughed in. The two Marines who came to tell the news of Marcus’ death were there, and they were treated warmly.

“He was a very funny, very caring, tender-hearted person who loved his family and close friends,” Marcus Glimpse’s mother, Maryan, said.

“He was just my best friend,” his father said, holding back tears. Marcus chatted with his father every three weeks, although “he didn’t really want to talk about himself. He just wanted to hear about normal things from back home,” Guy Glimpse said.

He had a profile on Myspace.com, and he loved electronic gadgets, especially video games and iPods. He asked his father to send him the latest video game a week before he died in Iraq.

Although he was “nervous but not scared” of the assignment in Iraq, he made his peace with it, his father said.

Glimpse had previously served in Sri Lanka with tsunami-relief efforts in 2005. A machine-gunner, he left for Iraq in January.

Among his other loves were the classic film, “The Godfather,” and fireworks. His fascination with the Italian underworld amused the family. He had a closet full of red, black and white T-shirts made by Mob Inc., maker of edgy gothic designs.

“Fireworks on the Fourth of July ? that was his baby,” Guy Glimpse said with a laugh.

All the family needed to do was stand by and watch as he set up the pyrotechnics.

After his death, his aunt, Karen Hafeli, dreamed of him being welcomed into heaven by angels carrying huge sparklers, with firecrackers going off.

“That night [April 12, when they learned of his death], we all didn’t sleep well,” she said.

In addition to his parents, Glimpse is survived by his twin brother, Michael; and two sisters, Megan and Mandy.

Marcus Glimpse was born in Fort Sill, Okla. He was living in a foster home in Plano, Texas, when he and his brother were adopted by the Glimpse family. Marcus went to elementary and junior high schools there.

Michael Glimpse was an Army paratrooper for four years, and recently completed a 10-month stint in Iraq. He gave his brother his dog tags, which he thought had brought luck and kept him safe.

“I would be just like him to be remembered as a young man who wanted to make the world a better place, and he paid the ultimate price,” Guy Glimpse said.