Manoukian graduated from St. Francis High in the summer of 2001. During Saturday's memorial service the president of the school pointed out that it was the summer before September 11th Manoukian went on to become a Marine and a leader in the corps.
Hundreds of people turned out for the memorial service. The first part of the two-and-a-half our event was held inside the school's auditorium, which was packed with standing room only. It's an event will include an honor guard salute and military aircraft flyover.
ABC7 spoke with Manoukian's father, Santa Clara County Judge Socrates Manoukian just after he learned of his son's death earlier this month. He said his son was training Afghani security forces and one of the men he believed was a trainee requested a meeting, which was not unusual. During that meeting the Afghani shot and killed Manoukian and two other Marines as they ate dinner.
There have been a series of these kinds of attacks upon U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan lately. According to figures from NATO commanders, one in 10 deaths of NATO soldiers so far this year are from Afghani trainees or Afghanis whom soldiers believed were their allies.
