Bucks Marine believed in the mission, family says

A Marine officer from Doyles-town who was killed in combat in Iraq was a dedicated supporter of the troops' mission, his family said yesterday.

First Lt. Travis L. Manion, 26, died Sunday in Anbar province. He was serving his second tour in Iraq, embedded with an Iraqi army unit that he was leading and training.

"He was so sure what he was doing over there was right," said his mother, Jannette Manion. "He called the night Bush made his speech about the troop surge and told us, 'That's exactly what we need.' His biggest concern was that the politicians over here were giving life to the insurgents by putting the military and president down."

His father said he was proud of how his son would "give his all" in life and in the military.

"He was a kid with a big heart, never had a bad word for anyone. He was all heart; that is who he was," Tom Manion said. "We've had calls from all over the country, from people who said they loved him like a brother; he really touched people like that." *