Three young patriots' lives cut short

By ED RUNYAN

and WILLIAM K. ALCORN

news@vindy.com

LEAVITTSBURG

Three young Trumbull County men who accepted the risks that go with military service had their lives cut short instead by a traffic accident not far from their hometowns.

Zachary A. Nolen of Newton Falls, 19; Joshua A. Sherbourne of Southington, 21; and Michael T. Theodore Jr. of Howland, 19; died Wednesday afternoon after an accident on state Route 5 when a tractor-trailer hit the back of the car taking them to Cleveland to complete their enlistment in the Marines. They would have taken their oath today and begun boot camp in the fall.

All three men were in the back seat.

Rose Sherbourne, Joshua’s grandmother, said the family had met with a recruiter in its farm house on Phalanx Mills Herner Road to talk about enlisting, and there was a discussion about the dangers. The recruiter advised that the percentage of soldiers who are injured is actually very low.

“I said he could die in a car crash at home as easily as that,” Rose said this morning in her living room, surrounded by Joshua’s three younger siblings and other family members, considering the irony of the statement.

Joshua "loved going out in the woods and cutting down trees. He loved the outdoors, riding four-wheelers. He loved landscaping and flowers,” Rose Sherbourne said of her grandson. Out in the front yard, Joshua had built a water fountain with a bench under a big tree where he and his girlfriend, Carly Holub, enjoyed spending time.

He decided about three weeks ago on the Marines.

Several of Zachary A. Nolen’s best friends say the 2009 Newton Falls High School graduate was one of the smartest, most determined and best-liked people they had ever known, and he joined the Marines because he wanted to achieve at the highest level the military could offer.

He had thought about becoming a Navy Seal but learned that Special Operations Reconnaissance in the Marines was tougher and involved higher levels of training, so he chose that, said David Pagano, Nolen’s best friend since third grade.

Michael T. Theodore Jr., or Mikey as his mother, Laureen, called him, loved God and his family and wanted to be a Marine and serve his country.

“We knew that if he went into the military he might go overseas and get hurt, but not on the way to Cleveland to be sworn in,” said his father, Michael T. Theodore Sr.

“I just can’t fathom that this happened,” his father said.

Family and friends gathered today at the Theodore home in Howland. Michael was to have married Angel Willis of Orwell on June 26.

His buddy, Dan Popadak of Warren, said Michael liked riding motorcycles, and that a motorcycle trip had been planned for this weekend through southern Ohio or western New York.

For the complete story, read Friday's Vindicator or Vindy.com, where you'll also find a gallery and video report.