By Alabama Public Radio
Mobile, AL – Friends and families remembered an Alabama soldier Friday before he was buried in his hometown. Marine Lance Corporal Bradley Michael Faircloth was killed on Thanksgiving Day while fighting in Fallujah, Iraq. He was 20 years old. He had been injured twice in the days before he was killed but was able to return to duty. His mother, Kathleen Faircloth-Smith, received her son's three Purple Heart medals and a Distinguished Service commendation from Governor Bob Riley. Faircloth was from Mobile and played football at Murphy High School. He graduated in 2002. After spending a year at Delta State University in Mississippi, he joined the Marines. Faircloth was a member of the First Battalion, 8th Marines, Alpha Company, 3rd Platoon. He was based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.