RENO -- Lance Cpl. Donald John Cline Jr. pulled wounded U.S. soldiers to safety while under fire just before he was killed by a grenade blast in Iraq, the military told his widow.
"His heroic actions most certainly saved the lives of his fellow Marines," Cline's commander wrote in a letter this week to Tina Cline of Sparks.
John Cline, 21, Sparks, was among the first Marines killed during the initial attack on southern Iraq. He died March 23, leaving behind his 22-year-old wife and two sons, Dakota, 2, and Dylan, 7 months.
Tina Cline said people have been telling her that her husband died a hero, "but when I heard them say that, I didn't really feel that way," she said in an interview Friday.
"Now, to actually hear that from the chain of command -- oh my God, I am so proud," she told The Associated Press.
"I've been picturing all the movies my husband and I watched, Army and war movies, and that is what my husband was doing for real," she said.
"He really was a hero. He was helping the injured and he lost his life doing that. His boys can really say their dad was a hero."
Cline was a rifleman for the C Company, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, which was securing a bridge in Nasiriyah when the company came under heavy rocket and machine gun fire from multiple directions, his commander Daniel Wittnam wrote in the letter.
One of the assault vehicles was hit by a rocket-launched grenade so "the company consolidated to try to help the wounded," Wittnam said.
"Your husband bravely helped the injured and began returning fire on the enemy while the company defended our position.
"Your husband was mortally wounded while providing security to the injured," he said.
Tina Cline said U.S. military officials told her that as many as 18 Marines died in the battle.
"They told me there were injured people everywhere and they were going to collect them and bring them back to their vehicle, using it like a shield," she said.
"Then their vehicle was hit. There was a huge explosion because there was tons of ammunition in it," she said.
"I've been sitting here waiting and waiting to hear exactly how he died. I had to sign special paperwork to find out. A lot of families don't want to know. But I don't care how graphic it is. I want to know every detail so when my sons are old enough, I can tell them how he died."
Still, Tina Cline said she struggles with her husband's death.
"Out of 300,000 troops, why don't I get my husband back?" she asked.
This week, life has started to return to normal and she's been getting out of the house again to run errands.
"So many people recognize me and give me hugs. I find comfort in that now. Before it just made me hurt. Even today, when people come up to me, they cry and I have to tell them it is OK. It's amazing how people can be affected by a stranger. It is touching," she said.
Tina Cline said she's preparing for another emotional experience when she and one of John Cline's aunts leave Saturday for a trip to Camp Lejeune, N.C., where he was based and the family lived before Cline shipped out to Iraq.
"I have to face all our belongings, see his clothes and smell him -- his pillow with the bloodstain I couldn't get out from the nose bleed he had before he left," she said.
She plans to meet with Cline's staff sergeant, who is expected to return from Iraq on Monday.
"I'm hoping he'll have John's dog tags. They couldn't find his wedding band. His dog tags are in shreds from the explosion and I want those," she said.
She also plans to meet with one of the Marines who survived the grenade blast.
"I don't know if John pulled him to safety, but he has some sort of urgency in wanting to talk to me."
Other families will be welcoming home soldiers at the base.
"There are going to be signs all over that say, 'Welcome Home Daddy, We Miss You.' I just wish he could be here with us," she said, her voice cracking.
Yet Tina Cline said she believes her husband's spirit is present.
"You've heard of pennies from heaven? We keep finding pennies and change around the house," she said.
Earlier this week, she was watching a videotape of Cline's funeral service.
"I was crying so hard. I put my face in my hands crying and all the sudden next to my left foot I find a penny. I grabbed it and I said 'John, you ARE here, AREN'T you?' And I smiled."
