Central TX Marine Dies in Afghanistan

A small town near Austin is mourning a big loss.  Lance Cpl. Cody Stanley, 21, died Wednesday after stepping on an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan.

Stanley was a decorated Marine serving his second tour of duty when he died.  He grew up in Rosanky, Texas, a small town of 700 just south of Bastrop.

On Friday his friends and former teachers remembered the smiling boy who grew up and left home to fight a foreign enemy.

"He was well-mannered, he was polite, he was a type of gentleman I would have loved for my daugther to have dated," said one former teacher at Smithville High School.

Residents say there's a strong tradition of service in Rosanky. American flags fly in front of homes and cars.

"We're a tight group of people around here that still believes in fighting for our country," said Kyle Hammons, a childhood friend of Stanley.

Hammons also served in Afghanistan as a marine.  He says the first emotion he felt when learning of Stanley's death, was guilt.

"I came back and he didn't...I know it's silly but I feel guilty," Hammons said.

In the small, close-knit community of Rosanky many are having a hard time accepting Stanley's death.

"When we lose somebody, everyone loses that particular person, not only just the immediate family," said family friend Paul Goertz.

The Stanley Family will need that support now more than ever.  Cody's younger brother Cade was scheduled to leave for Marine bootcamp in November.  The same month his older brother will be buried.

To show their gratitude, a local member of the Patriot Guard plans to line the road leading to Stanley's childhood home with American flags this weekend.