ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, May 12, 1996 TAG: 9605130104
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BETTY HAYDEN SNIDER STAFF WRITER
note: above
``GUNG-HO'' pretty aptly described Marine Cpl. Britt Todd Stacey, who was killed Friday in a helicopter crash.
American and Marine Corps flags flapped in the breeze Saturday outside the Vinton home where Marine Cpl. Britt Todd Stacey grew up.
The show of pride and patriotism followed the devastating news Friday night that their son had died serving his country.
Stacey, a 26-year-old Vinton native, was one of 14 Marines killed Friday in a helicopter collision near Camp Lejeune, N.C., during night maneuvers in a U.S.-British war games exercise.
"He paid the ultimate price yesterday, but Britt believed in the Corps," longtime neighbor Ron Hutton said. "He believed in what he was doing."
His parents, Homer and Marie Stacey, were proud when Britt joined the Marines in 1992, following in the footsteps of his father, said Stacey's uncle, Ralph Stacey. Military service was a tradition in the Stacey family. Two brothers and several uncles served in other branches.
Stacey was not the kind of person who sought out attention for himself, Hutton said. He was a quiet man who preferred to remain in the background - appropriate for someone in reconnaissance work.
When Stacey received a promotion, his family found out about it in the newspaper, Ralph Stacey said.
And although he was humble about his own accomplishments, he was proud of the Marine Corps, his uncle said. When home, he wore his uniform almost everywhere he went.
He worked hard at a job he loved, Hutton said. Even while home on leave, Stacey went running to stay in peak condition.
"He was afraid he'd gain an ounce.''
The Marines recognized Stacey for outstanding individual service in 1995.
Stacey graduated from William Byrd High School in 1989 and held a variety of jobs throughout high school and until he joined the Marines, Ralph Stacey said.
He and Angela Meador Stacey, formerly of Blue Ridge, married about three years ago. He is survived by his wife, his parents, two brothers and a sister.
As friends and family members dealt with their loss, Hutton considered whether Stacey would have joined the Marines had he known how things would turn out.
"He would do the same thing all over again, I'm sure."
LENGTH: Medium: 54 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: headshot of Stacey color KEYWORDS: FATALITYby CNB