LCpl Timothy G. Serwinowski

21-year-old New York Marine killed in Afghanistan

The Associated Press

NORTH TONAWANDA, N.Y. — Friends and relatives say a 21-year-old Marine from New York has been killed in Afghanistan.

Lance Cpl. Timothy Serwinowski of North Tonawanda, near Buffalo, was serving in Marjah when he was hit by a sniper and died early Monday.

He had been a Marine since 2008 and was stationed at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.

At North Tonawanda High School Tuesday, former teachers described Serwinowski as a quiet leader. Serwinowski graduated from the school three years ago, and his sister is scheduled to graduate on Sunday. The class is expected to pay tribute to him during the ceremony.

Was a leader in classroom, on football field

The Associated Press

Tim Serwinowski stood out among students at his high school, and not just because of his 6-foot-2 frame.

Teachers called the North Tonawanda, N.Y., native a quiet leader with a disarming sense of humor that made him a role model to his peers.

During his 2007 senior year at North Tonawanda High School, his football coaches honored him for excellence and leadership after the team won the league’s North Division Championship.

“I can still hear myself saying, ‘Be more like Tim,’ to the other kids in the class,” said Greg Woytila, who taught Serwinowski as a third-grader.

Serwinowski, 21, joined the Marines a year after high school and was deployed to Afghanistan in December. He was killed in a June 21 sniper attack in Helmand province. He was assigned to Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Survivors include his parents, Sally Urban and Phillip Serwinowski, and several siblings.

Several people have left remembrances and notes of condolences on a Facebook page for Serwinowski. Among them is a note from his cousin, Christen Giles-Suarez: “timmy i love you and like my last words were to you, im proud of you and im still proud.”