Lance Corporal Nicholas S. O'Brien

Lance Cpl. Nicholas S. O’Brien, 21, of Stanley, North Carolina died June 9, 2011 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. Lcpl. O’Brien was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, California.

Nic was born May 23, 1990 in Charlotte, NC and was a graduate of East Gaston High School.

His family includes his parents, Richard O’Brien, Jr. and Tammy O’Brien; his sister, Haley O’Brien; grandparents, Johnny Bright and Barbara Bowen; and great grandmother, Lila Harrison; as well as uncles, Jeff Bright and family, Sean O’Brien and family; and aunt, Bonnie Knight and family, and extended family in Charlotte, NC and Appomattox, VA; and his longtime girlfriend, Hayley Black and her family.

Services with full military honors will be held at 2:00 PM Monday, June 20th at First Assembly of God, 777 S. Myrtle School Road in Gastonia. Further honors and interment will follow in Arlington National Cemetery at 9:00 AM on Tuesday, June 28th.

Following the service in Gastonia, the family will receive friends at Shady Brook Baptist Church in Charlotte.

In lieu of flowers, the O’Brien family respectfully requests memorials be sent to the Josh Cawthorn Fund, in care of Shady Brook Baptist Church, 2940 Belmeade Drive, Charlotte, NC 28214. Josh was Nic’s friend who was seriously injured in the incident which took Nic’s life.