Alva Review-Courier -

WARRINGTON, Pa. (AP) — As a Marine, Eric James Clauson spent months in the mountainous regions of Afghanistan, moving from village to village with ground forces in search of Osama bin Laden. He also served in Iraq, where he helped build temporary bridges in hostile territory.

His mother, Barbara Jean Clauson, always worried about him.

"My heart would be in my mouth until he got home," the Warrington woman said. "It was like he was always testing fate."

Fate is something Clauson thinks a lot about these days, especially around the holidays. She lost Eric when she least expected it, on a warm Ja...