CREEDE, CO, USA U.S. Marines SGT, F CO, 2D BN, 4TH MAR, 1ST MAR DIV, CAMP PENDLETON, CA AR RAMADI, IRAQ 02/20/2007
Marine Sergeant Clinton W. Ahlquist was killed on December 4, 2006 while conducting combat operations in Ar Ramadi, Anbar Province as his unit supported Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was part of the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, California. It was his second Iraq tour. Clinton W. Ahlquist was among seven or eight Marines selected from 600 to train with the Army Special Forces and received a commendation for his outstanding work. He was tough and ranked high in his boot camp class at Camp Pendleton even completing final training with a broken foot.
The twenty-three year old Marine was “a character, no doubt about it. Someone you don’t easily forget” as Creede School staff remember Clinton, or “Clint” to many of his friends and family. Clint moved from Scottsdale Arizona. to Creede midway through his freshman year. He had no trouble fitting in to his new school, according officials. When he first got there he made a big impression as the new kid and he had made up his mind to carve out his place immediately. Clint was editor of the yearbook and school paper his senior year. As a junior and senior, he was class vice president. He was active in Future Business Leaders of America, was prom king his junior year and led the basketball team. Clint was very conscious of what was going on around him and of peoples’ feelings. From his arrival to his departure, Clinton Ahlquist put a smile on the faces of everyone who crossed his path.
A memorable Clinton event occurred on the last day of school his junior year. Clinton and his best friend rode his friend’s father’s horses to school. The two tied the horses up in the back of the building and continued on to class as normal until school let out when they rode them back home. Nobody had ever heard of anyone doing that before and it hasn’t happened since. Not surprising, everybody thought it was pretty cool.
Clinton’s sweetheart and his best horse-riding friend were continuously together and got affectionately tagged with the group nickname of the “Three Stooges”. Clint’s sweetheart’s family became as second parents to him. Although Clinton had a humorous side, he was also extremely considerate, and caring to his friends and family. He could turn a whole room around with his personality.
He was a respectful, model citizen and not one of those kids who got in trouble. He was definitely one of those young men the younger kids looked up to.
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