Body Of LAPD Officer Killed In Afghanistan To Arrive In LA
LOS ANGELES (CBS) — The body of Los Angeles Police Department Officer and Marine Corps Reserves Staff Sgt. Joshua J. Cullins will arrive at Los Angeles International Airport Thursday.
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A closed police and military ceremony will be held at 1 p.m. for Cullins, a 28-year-old bomb specialist who was killed Oct. 18 in a roadside blast in Afghanistan's Helmand province.
He was the second LAPD officer killed while on military duty in Afghanistan this year. LAPD SWAT officer and Marine reservist Sgt. Maj. Robert J. Cottle was killed March 24 in a roadside bombing in Helmand province.
Cullins had disarmed roadside bombs in Iraq as well as in Afghanistan. Two months ago, while serving in Afghanistan, he survived a roadside explosion that left him with a concussion.
He had two days left in the field as an explosive ordinance disposal technician when he was killed while investigating a bomb.
Cullins, who hoped to join the LAPD bomb squad, had been with the department for three years.
He enlisted in the Marines after graduating high school in 2000 and joined the reserves in 2007. His last tour of duty was with the 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment.
A viewing is scheduled for 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Deaton Hall at the downtown Police Administration Building at 100 W. First St.
A nondenominational secular memorial service and honors ceremony will be held Wednesday at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels at 555 W. Temple St. A private service will be held inside the cathedral at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, to be immediately followed by an honors ceremony in the cathedral plaza.
The Los Angeles Police Federal Credit Union has opened an account to assist Cullins' family.
Checks payable to "Blue Ribbon Trust for Joshua Cullins" should be sent to: Los Angeles Police Federal Credit Union, Attn: Blue Ribbon Trust for Joshua Cullins, P.O. Box 10188, Van Nuys, Ca., 91410.
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