This page is set up as a memorial to Grant Cotting.

Grant was an excellent young man, an American patriot,

a soldier, a son, a brother, and most of all our friend

Grant was tragically killed in Iraq on 24 Jan 2009

Some Comments by Family & Friends

From your Dad

Dear Grant,

Its 2:37am and I can’t sleep - I miss you.  I hope you knew how much I loved you – we loved you.  I hope you knew how proud I was of you.  You were my first son.  Your arrival scared me to death.  Your first few weeks challenged both your mother and I to the core. Many 18 hour days ended by coming home to you after midnight and having to drive you around town for an hour – or more - just so you could sleep.  I should have realized then that you would grow up making your own path through life.  I remember your mother calling me while I was back East telling me that you were sick, inconsolable.  I jumped on the first plane I could to get home.  I remember the sheer look of disbelief on her face as I walked through the door, you crying away in her arms until she handed you to me.  She hadn’t slept in god knows how long, and you passed out on my shoulder within minutes and the fever you had for the last several days literally just disappeared.  Boy was she mad!

I wasn’t prepared to mold you, raise you.  At two years old you were a seasoned air traveler, making your way through crowds of adults with your suitcase in tow shouting out “Excuse Me, Coming Through”.  Again, not afraid to make your own way.  On the airplane you would get on the floor, laying your Legos out on the seat and play until the 5 hour flight was over.  And as you grew, as you went through those years of change as a teenager, you still made me proud – mad many a time, but proud.  The challenges you presented along the way made me stronger, better able to take on the role of father.  A role I am fortunate enough to continue to hold today.  Your loss is tragic enough, I cant imagine going through this if you were our only child.

Your decision to join the Army was a shock.  I remember rolling into the driveway after midnight from a trip to Las Vegas.  You met us in the garage and while helping me unload the luggage just casually mentioned that you had enlisted, like asking me to pass the salt.  I could tell that you had thought long and hard about the decision - again I was very proud, worried, but proud.  I knew from the phone calls to home made while hidden in a locker that you were facing the biggest challenges of your life.  Those conversations are some of my most cherished memories of you.  In the end you conquered the trials of your Basic Training by picking yourself up, having the wisdom to listen, and having the dedication and conviction to persevere. 

Watching you as you graduated from basic was one of the greatest memories in my life, as I am sure it is with your mother and brothers.

While I knew your friends at home loved you, through this tragic event we have learned just how many others you touched in your short time, even in death finding a way to make me, us, proud.  We have received messages from across the globe from your comrades and Senior officers that couldn’t be here today, some of which only knew you for a few weeks.  Those messages all conveyed true sincerity in their content.  Not one ill thought to be found.  You were an inspiration to many.

I will always regret missing your last calls, missing hearing the voice of my son who had become such a man.  While we do not yet know the how and whys’ of your death, we now know the how and whys’ of your life.  I’m sorry I couldn’t be there with you in Iraq.  I know it was rough.  I think we shared more conversation in our emails over the last 2 months then we did during your entire Senior year in High School.  Your emails had become a regular and welcome highlight to my days at work.  I wish I could have talked to you one more time.  God I miss you.

I love you Grant.  Mike Kilo.

To Branden, Nicholas, Scott, and Lucas.  I love you all, we, love you all.  Grant loved you despite any feeling you may have had otherwise.  He expressed his love for all of you to me before he left.  Look around and see at all of these people here today.  Each of you bring your own personalities into my life, your mothers life, into their lives.  Each of you is different and unique and each of you will touch many more lives as you grow.  Each of you make your mother and I very proud.  You will always be loved, no matter what.  Remember that and hold me to it.  Remember that no matter what the issue is, you have all of these people, and more, who love you and will help you – all you have to do is ASK.  The biggest thing to remember is that you have each other.  Play with each other, challenge each other, love each other – no matter how much you annoy each other.

To Amanda.  We have had 20+ years of marriage and I have been fortunate to have you in my life.  While we faced many challenges along the way, nothing could have prepared us for this.  We had 5 wonderful boys.  For whatever reason, God’s plan or just fate, we have lost our first son.  No parent should have to witness this event in their lifetime, but yet here we are.   We can be proud of the man we raised, and the men we will continue to raise.  I love you.  I know we both want answers, wonder why us, seek blame, feel like we failed somehow.  But Grant made his own decisions and he thought long and hard about them.  Nothing can fill the void you have in your heart, your soul right now.  But you can and should know that you did not fail.  Your son was a good man.  I ask that you to also look around you now.  Our son made a difference.  Our son touched many people and those that could be here to let you know are, those that couldn’t be here took the time to tell us.  Use that sense of pride to help you put one foot in front of the other each day so that we can finish raising the other joys in our life so that they to can make a difference.  I will be here for you every step of the way.

To the Family and Friends that are here with us today.  Words can not express the gratitude we feel.  We are so fortunate to have you in our lives.  While life has a way of preventing us from gathering together more often, the fact that you are here today is proof that as we all walk through life, we all touch more lives than we realize.

Thank you to the Marchek’s for the tribute website they set up for Grant.  It has been a great way to revisit his life over the last several days.  We cant thank you enough for not only this tribute, but for getting to know him, loving him and treating him like your own son.

Thank you to those men and women who are present or not, that have served or are serving, who have a loved one serving or have also lost a loved one, that have offered their support to us in the name if a fallen comrade.  We have been overwhelmed by the support offered to us not only by the Army but by complete strangers as well upon learning the news of Grant’s death.

From his Father

Pain in the Rear

Stubborn as an Ox (can't imagine where he got that from)

Self Effacing

Hopeful Realist

A man with so much in front of him

Loved even when he didn't want it

Source of limitless pride

Big Dork (I know where he got that from)

Walked to his own beat (no comment)

Going to get his butt kicked if I see him again

I love you son.  Dad

Hopeful Dreamer

Unknown Poet

Silly to the Soul

He was my sons friend.

Then he became my friend.

He spent so much time with us, he became one of our sons.

Then he joined the service and became one of my brothers.

I've cried more in the last 4 days than I have since I was a child.  I never knew how much I loved this wonderful young man, or how deeply he'd touched our lives.  I'm not sure most of us do, and we certainly forget too often to say it.

Grant was loved and he will be remembered for the joy he brought us in his smile.

--Scott

What can I say about Grant?  We have been close ever since I can remember, even when I moved away when I was 14 to Georgia, he still made an effort to try to get me to come back or at least let me know I was missed.  When we were little, he used to call himself general grant when we would build planes and tanks out of Lego's.  He always wanted to be in any branch of the military, he wanted to be remembered, to have a sense of honor, and to be a good friend.  He always said he wanted the stability and discipline, regardless of what he was like to others around him.  He always had a smile, could always make me feel better.  When we would get into trouble or get into a fight, either of which ALWAYS happened, Grant would always come up to me and either start tickling me, or crack a joke.  Grant was a brother for me.  When I was with my family in California, you would find us together.  We would share beds, toys, and would always have each others back.  He even shared his pillow with me...and when he was little, sharing the lion king pillow was the greatest honor.  He used to tell me that our kids would play together and get into as much trouble as we did.  He promised we would take them to our favorite them park when we were kids, Knott's Berry Farm, like our grandmother and great aunt did for us. We would never sleep when we were together.  We were either staying up and talking all night, or playing video games till the sun came up.  Our biggest arguments came while playing Mario cart or Mario party.  He was always Mario and I was always peach.  He was the peanut butter to my jelly, he always said peanut butter was the sexier of the two, which was why he was the peanut butter.  He was a great friend, a good big brother, the greatest cousin I could have ever had.  Now that he is gone, The most influential part of my family is gone.  If I could tell him one thing, I would tell him this:  You got what you always said you would, you served your country, you were a good friend, and you will always be remembered.  I know he is in a better place.  Where he can eat all the junk food he wants and play video games for as long as he wants, and everything will magically clean itself.  I know that no matter what, I will always try to smile, because he will be somewhere cracking a joke just so he did not have to see anyone cry or be sad.

His Cousin Jess

AKA Lieutenant Jess

--Eric Maurer

Broadcom Colleagues,

The American, California and Broadcom flags are flying at half-staff
today at Broadcom's Irvine facility in honor of U.S. Army Private Grant
A. Cotting, the son of Broadcom employee Craig Cotting, Business
Systems Analyst for Operations based in Irvine.  

Grant, 19, died last Saturday in Kut, Iraq, of injuries sustained from
a non-combat incident.  He was assigned to the Army's 515th Sapper
Company, 5th Engineer Battalion, 4th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade based
at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. 

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger issued the following
statement concerning Grants' death: Private Grant A. Cotting was a
courageous soldier who dedicated his life to serving his fellow Americans and
protecting our countrys' freedom.  His sacrifice is an inspiration to
us all and his bravery will be remembered. 

California Capitol flags are also being flown at half-staff today in
honor of Craigs' son. 

Please join all of us at Broadcom in honoring the life of Pvt. Cotting,
and supporting the Cotting family as they mourn their loss.

These are photos his friends sent to remember him by

Final Respects

From Brothers in Arms

With Respect

Saying Goodbye

For our Brother Grant

Christmas in Iraq

She sent me what!?

Grant & Aunt Stacy

Grant & Uncle George

Mike & Grant Nov 2008

Grant & Christina Looks like Disney Sept 2008

3 Generations together

MiMi and PaPa

Clowning for our brother

Mike's B-Day July 2007

Ryan, Grant, Christian

Mike's B-Day July 2007

Grant & Mike

Santiago Graduation 2007

Mike, Will, Christian, Glenn, Ryan, Grant

Santiago Graduation 2007

Mike, Will, Grant, Glenn, Ryan

Santiago Graduation 2007

Mike, Will, Christian, Glenn, Ryan, Grant

The Whole Gang

Squish, Will, Grant, Christina, Scott, Ben, CJ, Clinton, Mike, Chris, Ryan & Glenn

So Cal Renaissance Pleasure Faire 2007

Grant, Ryan & Will

Mike & Christian Running

from the Revolting Peasants!

Picture from Grant's Phone sometime in 2007: ???, Christian, Clinton, Matt & Mike

LARP Summer 2006

Grant, Scott, Will, Mike, Jacob

Ren Faire 2006

Halloween 2004 Grant & Christian

Something silly from Grant's My Space page

Grant's Nickname

4 Brothers & a Cousin

Grant's Brothers at play on the Beach

???, Grant, Jaime, Ryan, Christian

The littlest Brother who will never know the man his Brother became

Well it looked fun hen Grant did it!

Cuz Halloween is the best!

These are some of Grant's notes and those sent to remember him by

How Grant Described himself from his MySpace page:  

Networks: Springfield, MO

Sex: Male

Hometown: Corona, CA

Relationship Status: Single

Interested In:  Women

Looking For: Friendship; Dating; A Relationship

Political Views:  Other

Religious Views:  Atheist

Personal Information

Activities:  Mario!, The Flash, Ferris Buller, Bart the 7th, Lord Vader, shakespear

Interests:  Women, Games, Television... Women, Enjoying Life, ... more Women

Favorite TV Shows:

Http://megavideo.com
A lot of cartoons and of course star trek and star gate
along with Dr. Who, Eureka and Scrubs

Favorite Movies:  anything really

Favorite Books:  Mech Warrior Sagas, Halo, Tom Clansy's works

About Me: (Witten back in 2007)

Well im purrty normal, a wee bit weird, a total dork.

Im really shy at first, but once i get goin im a blast haha.

I like videogames, but im not obsessed with them.

I like paintballing and playing football just for fun.

I love to swim, though i dont do it much,which is sad.

Actin stupid is a hobby of mine, but dont tell anyone.

I like to have fun and not care bout things.

I'll soon be workin at Barnes and Noble so yay books haha.

I've got a close group of friends like most,

though I'm not closed to making new ones.

Contact Information

 AIM:   regalmoneybags

Education and Work

 High School:    Buena Vista High School '08

 Employer:  United States Army

Position:  PV2 in 515th Sapper Co. of the 5TH Engineers

Time Period:  September 2008 - Present

Location:  Fort Leonard Wood, MO

Description:  I blow shit up

IMPORTED DIRECTLY FROM SANTA ANA!
Name: Grant; Caucasian male. 18 years of age. Quality breed, and thoughtfully raised for our home. He is well trained; however has a mischievous side, and occasionally has fits of randomness that can be quite wild. Experienced in youth care, great option for long time commitment, and short. Grant will only settle on an equal who possesses not only a sense of humor, and a rich personality, but also requires that she isn’t afraid of commitment, and is self conscious, but not psycho about it. Asides for some extra mass Grant is in prime condition. Grant is house broken, crate trained, and has all his shots. Available for inspection.
Breeding Stock!

Reasons why I Joined  Oct 19, 2008

For Family

For Friends     

For Enemies

For No-Bodies
For Future Flames

For Past Romances

For the Silly Pet Names           

For the Reasons You Get Said Names 

For a Thrill      

For a Commitment       

For a Reason to be Alive

For Protecting You Against the Storm

For Protecting that Total Stranger        

For a Chance to Meet People  

For Never Needing to Hear a Thanks

For the Choice

For the Future 

For the Here and Now

For myself

For You          

For Ryan and His Wisdom

For Christian and His Will        

For Matt and His Insanity        

For Cristina and Her Style

For Jamie and Her Charisma

For Mike and His Narcissistic Ways    

For Glenn and His Intelligence

For Clinton and His metro-sexuality 

For Kelsey and Her Passion

So at one point in time all of u have asked me "yd u join?" or "wat made u do it?"
Well it took me awhile but I found my excuse, and im letting u all know it, and though im miles and miles away, I care for u all the same way as when I last saw u, from the brotherhood with Ryan, to the care free me with Matt, form rivalries to love, I fight for us to remember our past
to get to our future
to live our lives
to regret
to forget
to forgive
to move on
to hold on….
to be your friend
to be your brother
to be your gator
to be your dip

But above all those
I Am Your Soldier.

A Fond farewell Sept 1 2008
Current mood:  bummed
Category: Life

so as i get ready to drift off into my last sleep here in corona
as i get ready to move from childhood to adulthood
as i get ready to put my life on the line for those i care bout most
i lay here
down trodden
nervous
anxious
wanting
yearning for something i cant have
just wondering if ive truely made the right decisions
wondering if ill find all that im looking for
but as i drift off
and i feel myself becoming more and more distant
i must say the good times i had
the people met
the late night joy rides
the sitting around and not knowing wat the fuck to do
the countless gay jokes made
all i can say is ill miss every moment
and that i wish every nerd out there that i went nerd with
every gay guy out there that played along with
every gal i hit on just cause i could and laughed bout it
i bid u all a fond farewell
for i cannot bid u any fonder of a goodbye
so i say a fond farewell is just dandy

I’m Actually On!  19 Jul 2008

 so ive been at basic and ait for a lil while now
ive been away from home and on my way into a career
ill be put into harms way for those i care for
and ive done it all just to grow up and prove something to myself

just to let my good friends know im alright and in 19 days ill be home
but only for 21 days then im going to new york to be with the 7th engineer brigade in fort drum
so thats how my life is headin so far
ill talk to some of u a lil later today so dont fret

Rambling & Ranting  March 13 2008

i hate being up this late
ive got too much on my mind to be up
this cant be good for me
to many things to ponder on
to many choices to make
thoughts that haunt
thoughts that remind
i hate them all
and sleep is my only escape
though is it really an escape
or just a delay
for tomorrow ill be up again
and reminisce
and ponder  those accursed thoughts 
y is it that a guy never can get a break
find wat hes been searching for and hold onto it
is it all just self inflicted suffering and pain
or some outside source we have no control over toying with us
is it that we humans dont have a damn clue about ourselves
and follow a delusion that we think we know who and wat we are
the fact we think so highly of ourselves that we are too good for this world
or the fact we think of ourselves as some greater powers pawn
and let the thought of it run our lives
is it that we treasure our ability to think situations out
and trust our entirety on our mere insignificant conclusions
that we think we need a bond created between ourselves and another
so we can have a sense of security
yet when that is shattered we throw ourselves into a state of chaos
where we dont know which way is left or right,right or wrong
or we go into a state of calm and actually rationalize the situations at hand
or ignore the feelings and move on and try and forget
yet watever ur course
u lose part of urself in the moving on
many have questioned if theres an easier way to go through this process
to get through the sleepless nights, the feeling ill, the time u waste getting over it
i can say i have found not a single easier way
though i wish there was
but there isnt
i for one find that its part of matureing and bettering ones self
i for one did waste plenty of time on insignificant bonds
strong and weak ones
some i let go
some i kept
some i rebuilt
but the one bond i have yet to build
is one that we all must have
and though i thought i had found a reason to build it
i was wrong, and i got hurt cause of it
because of insecurity, immaturity, jealousy, and trying to be wat i clearly wasnt
to have thoughts that one day i could be is a delusion
yet i cannot break myself of it
the cause of pain and anguish
the source of misery and despair
feelings of jealousy and heart-ache
yet all these are dulled
by a small sliver of hope
hope that one day my bridge may be built
and that ill be at a state of maturity
in which i can handle the situations thrown at me

haha so uve read this far
glad to know that someone....wait
i wont know if u read it this far
curses
oh wells
if u did
then ur probably goin wtf?!
well to be honest so am i
i just felt like id actually post a blog
seeing as everyone has
and im the last to do so
im glad i lasted this long
but haha yeah
no need to take this crap seriously
its me really just mumbling to myself and having the ability to read it back to myself haha if that makes any sense haha
but yeah
now all i can say is
laugh at urself for wasting ur time with this hahahahahahahahaha
haha ok im doon
night all

We first met Grant in late 2002 (if I remember correctly).  He was one of my sons friends, and soon became one of mine.  He was engaging and funny dan came over frequently.  Eventually, he practically moved in for all of the time he spent at our place.  He was an integral part to so many of the events of our lives for 4 years.  He was there for birthdays and holidays, ren faires and Halloweens, conventions and gaming.  He went through like 8 characters in a row all named Bartholomew.  Grant was one of those slightly goofy kids, working through the teenage difficulties with humor and a healthy dose of silliness.  Grant didn't take himself or life too seriously.  He could always get you to lighten up and laugh a bit.  Hew as also the kind of person you would want to have a s a friend.  Someone who would make time for you and listen to you, help you and be a friend.  These are traits that everyone valued in Grant

After Graduation, we moved away, and I was very surprised when I found out Grant had joined the US Army.  Through HS, Grant had been a little over weight and somewhat lazy.  But he'd been getting taller and stronger and starting to fit in his own body better. He apparently lost that weight and sought a future with the Army.  I was so proud of him.  It takes a level of self-discipline and personal sacrifice to succeed in the Army.  His choice to serve was his, as were his reasons.  None want to go to a war zone.  But Grant chose to serve his country in a time of war and gave all that he had.  I loved Grant as one of my own sons.  I love him also as one of my brothers.  I choose to remember my friend, as he lived, with happiness and pleasure.  Just look at the pictures and you'll see the happy and fun man he'd become.  I cherish his time with us.  I hope this page helps his friends remember his love for us, to ease our pain of his loss from our lives.

--Scott Marchek