“It was going to be Abe’s last mission and it turned into an ambush,” said Constance Howard. Her son, Lance Cpl. Abram Howard, was a US Marine who proudly followed in the footsteps of many of his family members when he joined the Marine Corps. Each year on the anniversary of his death, Constance spends time with the Marines from his unit to remember and honor her son. “Service to country is like signing that blank check. He signed a blank check to your country to do whatever it is to keep it safe.”