Saying Goodbye To Another Local Hero

Amid a sea of grief-stricken family, friends and servicemen wearing the traditional white carnation signifying mourning, home-grown hero Lance Cpl. Jeffrey Lam of Oakland Gardens was laid to rest on Monday.
Eulogized with a traditional Buddhist ceremony, the flag-draped casket of the 22-year-old Marine killed in a vehicular accident in Iraq on November 8 was surrounded by Marines, NYPD, and even veterans.
"I came out to show solidarity for my fellow Marine," said Joseph Davis of the New York chapter of Mouthford Point Marine Association. "You know the saying, Once a Marine, always a Marine."
Lams tragic death brought tears to even the most stoic.
As the procession of uniform-clad mourners filed past the casket, several Marines were seen wiping away tears as they faced their own mortality as well as that of their friend and colleague.
"He was a good person," said Kunal Handa, who went to boot camp with Lam. "If anyone, he shouldnt have passed away."
A newlywed and father of a three-month-old daughter, Lam had left his Oakland Gardens home for Iraq on September 3.
According to his family, his patriotism and love for the United States which drove him to enlist stemmed from his desire to do something meaningful.
"Im very proud of my son," said Daohui Lam, the fallen soldiers father. "He was a true man."
Lam, a graduate of the Bronx High School of Science and Pace University, had been assigned to the Marine Corps. Reserves 6th Communications Battalion, 4th Force Service Support Group in Brooklyn.
It is believed that Lam died while attempting to save the life of another Marine.
In addition to a wife, Xu Li Hua Lam, and daughter, Teri, he leaves behind his mother, Qun Ying, father Daohui, sister, Shuqui, and brother Anthony.
"News of [Jeffreys] death came on the eve of the day on which we honor all our nations veterans, who have paid the price for freedom," Borough President Helen Marshall said. "We will always be in their debt."
toni@queenscourier.com.