<p>...Zembiec was searching for something else at the Naval Academy. 'It was a culture of hardness and mental toughness and challenge. You're there to be part of a team. It's not about you." </p>
<p>The interactive feature offers a moving tribute.</p>
<p>Major Zembiec was also featured in a special Los Angeles Times profile in August 2004</p>
<p>The Unapologetic Warrior
In Iraq, a Marine Corps captain is living out his heart's desire
By Tony Perry, Times Staff Writer
August 22, 2004 </p>
<p>Anyone who prefers that their military officers follow the media-enforced ideal of being diffident, silent about their feelings, unwilling to talk about their combat experience and troubled by the violence of their chosen profession should skip this story. </p>
<p>Marine Corps Capt. Douglas Zembiec is none of these things. </p>
<p>Zembiec, an All-American wrestler and 1995 graduate of the Naval Academy, is the charismatic commander of Echo Company of the 2nd Battalion, 1st Regiment, 1st Marine Division. During the monthlong battle in Iraq earlier this year for the Sunni Triangle city of Fallouja, no combat unit did more fighting and bleeding than Echo Company, and during it all--from the opening assault to the final retreat ordered by the White House--Zembiec led from the front. He took on the most dangerous missions himself, was wounded by shrapnel, repeatedly dared the enemy to attack his Marines, then wrote heartfelt letters to the families of those who were killed in combat, and won the respect of his troops and his bosses...</p>