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Former PTC Marine killed crossing N.C. highway

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@thecitizennews.com

A former Peachtree City resident preparing for a tour of duty in Iraq was killed in an off-base motor vehicle accident in North Carolina early Saturday morning, according to U.S. Marine Corps officials.

Cpl. Tom Landers, who would have turned 25 yesterday, was struck by a vehicle as he tried to cross state Highway 210 on foot in Topsail Beach, N.C., around 3 a.m., said Sgt. Juan Vara of the U.S. Marine Corps. Landers had been stationed at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina in preparation for a tour of duty in Iraq, said his mother, Sherri.

Landers is survived by his parents, Doug and Sherri Landers, who still live in Peachtree City, and his sister Cara, who lives in Newnan.

Canadian by birth, Cpl. Landers had dual citizenship which allowed him to serve in the armed forces. He enlisted in the Corps in June 2000 and went on to earn the National Defense Service medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary medal, the Good Conduct medal and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Sgt. Vara said.

Cpl. Landers was a member of the Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 26. He previously served on a ship in Operation Enduring Freedom, Sherri Landers said. He was involved in helicopter maintenance and repair, gaining a supervisory role once promoted to corporal, his mother added.

“He lived life to the fullest,” Mrs. Landers said, noting that her family has been touched by the number of Cpl. Landers’s friends who have called to express sympathy.

Funeral arrangements were not complete at press time. As soon as they are available, they will be posted at www.TheCitizenNews.com.