Boy Becomes ‘Honorary’ Marine

Marine drill instructor Jeremiah Gillette, of Orange County, California, reached out to his fellow Marines to ask for prayers for a very special reason.

His eight-year-old son, Wyatt, had been moved into hospice care. The child was struggling with the final stages of Aicardi-Goutieres Syndrome Type 1, a disease that causes a host of symptoms from seizures to kidney failure — and is ultimately fatal.

Gillette recalled the family’s long journey with their son’s devastating illness.

He first laid eyes on his son when he returned from serving in Iraq nearly eight years ago. At first, his baby boy seemed happy and healthy.

“When I arrived back, I had maybe two weeks of normalcy, if you can call it that, and [then] he became real irritable,” Gillette recalled, speaking to ABC Channel 7 in Los Angeles.

Wyatt continued to regress developmentally as doctors tried to figure out what was wrong — and his diagnosis ended up taking four years. Throughout, the child kept a positive attitude and just kept being a kid.

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“He loves his bike, he loves the sounds of kisses, he loves doing crafts,” his mother, Felishia Gillette, 27, told ABC7.

Last week, the couple were stunned by the response to their request for prayers. “I just started crying,” Felishia Gillette said. “So many people and strangers took an interest.”

One of those who reached out to the Gillettes was fellow Marine Anthony North of Oceanside, California. He created a petition on Change.org to have young Wyatt become an Honorary Marine.

Normally, being named an Honorary Marine happens only after a complex review period. It takes months to complete, and the commandant of the Marines makes the final decision.

“I truly feel Wyatt has faced more hardship than any Marine has gone through, and for that should be given the title,” North wrote on the website. “I have seen more Marines come together because of him, and feel he has truly earned the right to be among the best fighting force in the world.”

Over 4,000 people agreed — and signed the petition. Many of those who signed were Marines themselves.

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“That would mean the world to me,” Jeremiah Gillette said upon hearing about the petition, according to msn.com. “I’ve had two goals in my lifetime — to be a Marine and to be a drill instructor. If he was a normal child, he’s just got that spirit that I think he would have joined the Marine Corps as well.”

Within days, magic was at work. The online petition had taken off and the U.S. Marine Corps granted the request that was so hoped for by Wyatt Gillette’s new legion of supporters.

The boy’s parents watched proudly as their son was honored in a moving ceremony at Camp Pendleton on Saturday. “He’s the toughest kid I’ve ever met,” his father told ABC7. “He’s the toughest person I’ve ever met.”

A fighter to the end, Wyatt Gillette passed away on Sunday, July 31 — as an Honorary Marine. Jeremiah said his son was peaceful and pain-free when he died, according to ABC7.

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Commented one 17-year-old boy from the Boston area, “That’s so cool that in the military, people are there for one another — even online.”

“Thank you all so much for letting Wyatt into your hearts, and allowing him to make you smile. It was his favorite thing to do,” Jeremiah Gillette wrote after his son’s passing.