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Two more Florida Marines die in fighting in Fallujah area

Associated Press
Published November 18, 2004

Two more Marines from Florida were killed this week in al-Anbar province in Iraq, where Marines and Iraqi troops led an offensive on insurgents in Fallujah.

They were Capt. Patrick M. Rapicault, 34, of St. Augustine, and Lance Cpl. Antoine D. Smith, 22, of Orlando. They were killed Monday, the Defense Department said.

Both were members of the 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force based at Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Rapicault went to high school in Mississippi and graduated from Delta State University before joining the Marine Corps in May 1993, said his sister, Christine Cappillino, of New York. His parents, Gabriel and Nicole Rapicault, live in St. Augustine.

He also had been a Navy SEAL, Texas Ranger and paratrooper for the Marines, his sister said.

The Marines said his service honors included the Purple Heart.

Smith joined the Marine Corps in May 2001.

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