Military Remains Mum on Marine's Death

WILMINGTON - The family of Marine Lance Cpl. Steven West continued to await word yesterday on when the young man would be flown home, almost a week after he died under mysterious circumstances in Thailand.

But in a statement released to The Sun last night, David West said he believes the investigation into his son's death is in good hands.

"The Marine Corps has been good to Steven and our entire family," wrote West, who lives in Nashua. "We trust that the Marine Corps will do their best to provide information to us as they complete their work."

Steven West was pronounced dead at a hospital in the Bangkok area last Wednesday, the Marine Corps public-affairs office in Japan said. The cause of his death remains under investigation, it said.

The 20-year-old Wilmington resident was on a goodwill tour in Thailand with the III Marine Expeditionary Force Band at the time. He played bass for the elite band and was a member of its jazz combo.

David West, a music instructor who helps run the West Brothers Music schools in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, said yesterday that his son was "one of the most talented musicians" he had ever known.

"The Marine Corps provided Steven with an opportunity to complete his life performing music, which is what he loved the most and was his passion in life," he wrote. "In his short time, he made a great impact on many musicians and listeners. ... He inspired many musicians that knew him, including myself."

At the same time, West also enjoyed life in the military.

The III Marine Expeditionary Force Band, which is based at Camp Foster in Japan, not only performs more than 300 concerts a year, but also undergoes intense annual training, practices martial arts and rifle marksmanship, and provides security for the III MEF Command Element during its deployments.

"Steven loved the Marine Corps," David West wrote. "(He) was very proud of his service to our country with the U.S. Marines. Our recent conversations with Steven were very pleasant and upbeat."

The young man, who attended Wilmington High School through his junior year in 2004, entered the Marine Corps on Dec. 27, 2006. He had been stationed in Okinawa since November.

Wilmington Veterans Agent Lou Cimaglia remembers seeing West while he was on leave in March 2007. Both attended the funeral for Army Pfc. John F. Landry Jr., a Lowell resident with Wilmington ties who had been killed by an improvised explosive device in Iraq.

"Steven was there, in his Marine uniform," Cimaglia recalled.

Steven West's funeral is now expected to take place at St. Thomas of Villanova in Wilmington -- the same church where Landry's funeral was held.

"Although this is a sad time and we will miss him, my faith that Steven has entered into eternity with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the greatest comfort to me," David West wrote. "I know that I will see him again soon."

The arrangements for his funeral have yet to be finalized, Nichols Funeral Home said on its Web site, as the funeral directors await the body's return from Thailand.

"Everything's been put on hold," West's stepfather, Wilmington police Officer Dennis Rooney, said before declining to comment further.

"It's all kind of in a limbo right now," Cimaglia said. "His family is just sitting by the phone, waiting for that phone call."