Jan 24, 2015 4 min read

Ten years ago, the life of U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Frank Kancir III changed forever. His family gathered Saturday to remember the day they almost lost their son and brother.

“From now on, it will be a day of honor and remembrance,” said his fiancée, Jacquelyne Cullen, who has been with him for six years. She said it was a celebration of his life, goodness and purpose.

Kancir, who was just 24 years old, along with several other soldiers from Charlie Company were sleeping in a tent in Iskandariyah, Iraq, Jan. 27, 2005, when mortar rounds hit. Kancir was struck by shrapnel and knocked unconscious. He woke up when he felt the searing heat from the tent that caught fire.

One of his fellow Marines, Cpl. Jonathan S. Beatty, died in the attack and three others were critically wounded. Kancir underwent a dozen reconstructive surgeries over an 18-month period.

Cullen told Kancir he paid dearly, adding he continues to fight the home war against post-traumatic stress disorder. She called him her hero. Kancir said he was first diagnosed with PTSD as he was about to be medically discharged from the Marines in November 2006. Cullen said he wasn’t willing to admit PTSD was an issue until 2010. A few tears were shed as Kancir’s family told him what he meant to them. Friends and family who could not make it Saturday sent notes or letters, including a Marine who was in the tent with Kancir on that fateful day.

“I think of Jan. 27 as a day of love, when my team leader and brother risked his life to save mine, when you used what you had to put those flames out on my back,” wrote his comrade, Robin Griffith. “It is also a day of pain and survivor’s guilt for we lost one of the best that day and it still hurts.

“Frank, I will never forget what you did for me,” he continued. “You helped me escape certain death.”

Griffith called Kancir a true leader, adding he hoped he lived up to his expectations.

“What I remember about Jan. 27 is that I was not alone. Our Corps and unit, but mostly you had my back literally when the enemy set me on fire,” Griffith wrote. “You were there to douse the flames with your own hands.”

Griffith told Kancir he will use his example to teach his own son about leadership.

Several of Kancir’s family and friends made donations to Paws and Stripes, a nonprofit organization that partners wounded military veterans with PTSD and traumatic brain injury with service dogs.

While she is not an official service dog, Kancir’s pit bull, Hope, has proven to be a godsend in his battle with PTSD. In June 2013, Kancir and Cullen rescued her along with her nine puppies after she was abandoned near Charleston, W.Va. They nursed the emaciated dog and her puppies back to health. The two found homes for the puppies. Since then, Hope has been his constant companion.

“They have helped each other,” Cullen said. “He said no one would ever hurt her again.”

“It is tough,” Kancir said. “You think your mind should be smart enough to handle it. But is not something your brain is equipped for.”

He is very close to his family, with three generations living under one roof in their North Strabane Township home.

“We have a good family, a close family,” he told his loved ones gathered for the celebration. “A lot of people don’t have this. You have always been there, and each generation will be closer.”

Kancir said the last 10 years have been challenging.

“It has been full of reflection,” Kancir said.

He recently started school online to get a degree in IT management with plans to get his master’s degree in IT project management.

“The time has gone by pretty quickly,” he said. “I was talking with my pap a few days ago and he mentioned it. I didn’t realize that it had been 10 years.”