Candlelight vigil held for fallen Covington Marine

COVINGTON, Ind. (WLFI) - Members of the Covington community gathered Sunday evening to remember their fallen hero, Lance Corporal Joshua Witsman. 

Corporal Witsman was killed in action in Afghanistan last Wednesday. He was on his second tour of duty and was re-deployed to Afghanistan about 12 weeks ago.

Hundreds gathered outside the Fountain County Courthouse in Covington around 9 p.m. Sunday to remember a man who made the ultimate sacrifice. 

Patty Gritten is a friend of the Witsman family and said what she will miss most about Joshua are his hugs. She said she hopes the closeness of the community will help people to heal.

"I didn't see him a lot, but every time he was in town, he would always come into the office and give me a hug," said Gritten. "If he thought you were down, he would know how to make you smile. It is a very close-knit community and sometimes that works against us, but this time, it's working for us."

Witsman was married the week of Thanksgiving last year. He leaves behind a wife and two step-children. The family of Joshua Eli Witsman has requested that donations in his memory be made to the "Joshua Eli Witsman Scholarship Fund" at the Covington Community Foundation.

Donations may be sent to:

Covington Community Foundation
P.O. Box 175
Covington, IN 47932

Donations may also be made on the Foundation's website at wicf-inc.org .

Funeral arrangements for Witsman are pending.