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Monument to be dedicated to Marine who died in Persian Gulf

SELLERSBURG, Ind. (AP) – Relatives of a southern Indiana Marine who died while supporting military operations against the Islamic State group will unveil a monument honoring him this weekend.

Cpl. Jordan Spears’ family, friends and neighbors will gather Saturday at a Sellersburg park to unveil the monument that honors his sacrifice. The 21-year-old died in October after bailing out of his aircraft over the Persian Gulf during his first combat mission while helping support military operations against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.

He was the youngest of six children, growing up in Sellersburg and the nearby town of Memphis.

Spears’ mother, Cosette Spears, tells the News and Tribune he loved to cook and had studied culinary arts, giving him the unusual combination of being “a Marine and a chef.”