Tragic Kildare man always dreamed of being a soldier - widow

The grieving wife of Irish US Marine Liam Flynn has paid a touching tribute to him as her hero. Staff Sergeant Flynn (33) from Clane was one of seven elite Marines and four aircrew who died in a helicopter crash off Florida on March 10, 2015. The dad-of-one — a decorated war veteran who had served tours in Afghanistan and Iraq — was later laid to rest in the Arlington National Cemetery in Washington DC. In an emotional interview, his soldier wife Destiny told the Irish Sun about her late husband making the ultimate sacrifice. She said: "Most people will never truly know how much he did for the price of freedom. "Liam was that humble, quiet professional. He was not one to seek self-recognition. "I was so proud to call Liam my husband and best friend." The avid footballer and hurler moved to New York months after 9/11 and enlisted in the Marines in 2006, graduating a year later. Liam and his tragic pals were part of the Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command, in a unit now known as the Raider Regiment, based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. They were killed alongside four members of the Louisiana National Guard when their chopper plunged into the sea in fog during a training exercise. Heartbroken Destiny told how Liam died doing what he loved — and that he dreamed of becoming a Marine teenager back in Kildare.