Bothell Marine killed in Afghanistan befriended village children

Almost every time 1st Lt. Nicholas Madrazo opened the gates of his Marine base north of Kabul, he would be greeted by the gleeful screams of Afghan children ready to play.

Since his deployment to Afghanistan's Parwan province in March, the 25-year-old Bothell man had become a popular friend to many of the local children on the outskirts of Kabul.

With pens, paper, candy and an occasional game of soccer, Lt. Madrazo had quickly grown to be known around the area as just "Nic," his father, Joel Madrazo, said Friday.

"Nic really wanted to send a message that we should pass on the good things we are doing here," said Joel Madrazo. "We're not just soldiers but we have other jobs to do — that's trying to improve the lives of the local people."

Lt. Madrazo died Sept. 9 after a roadside bomb detonated underneath his Humvee. Along with Lt. Madrazo, two other Marines and their Afghan interpreter were killed, Joel Madrazo said.

Lt. Madrazo is survived by his parents, a brother, a sister, grandparents, aunts and cousins.

"We cry and we remember him, but we know he is with our Lord," Joel Madrazo said.

When he was a child, Nicholas Madrazo would play war games with friends. In his sophomore year at Seattle Pacific University, he announced that after college, he would join the Marines, along with some friends from Bothell High School.

After earning his business degree in 2005, Lt. Madrazo started military training and eventually was stationed in Okinawa, Japan. When he was deployed from there to Afghanistan, Lt. Madrazo regularly relayed stories to his family about rebuilding the area.

"When he got to Afghanistan, he immersed himself in the culture. His job was to go to villages and meet with tribal leaders to find out what their needs were — one was paving the surrounding of a mosque," Joel Madrazo said. "He loved working, having that kind of responsibility."

Lt. Madrazo asked his parents to send him pads of paper, pencils and lots of ballpoint pens as gifts for the children he met. He told his parents that the children were fascinated with ink pens and loved to write with them.

"He connected with kids," his father said. "He grew up around kids, his cousins and the neighborhood we live in."

Lt. Madrazo had thought about becoming a firefighter on his return home.

A memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Sept. 20 at Westminster Chapel, 13646 N.E. 24th St., Bellevue. The service is open to the public.

Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com