LAKE COUNTY, Ohio — The family of a fallen Northeast Ohio Marine wants him remembered for his accomplishments and the impact he had on others.
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Lance Cpl. Austin Schwenk’s mother said her son seemed destined to join the Marine Corps.
“He’s wanted to join the Marines since he was about 5 years old. So it was kind of just a way of life for him,” said Kaci Christison.
Austin was born at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina and spent several years there while his father served as a Marine. It was the same base he was assigned in April after completing Marine Combat Training (MCT) and Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) School.
“I was just so happy for him. He was so happy,” Christison said.
She said joining the Marines was one of Austin’s proudest accomplishments. The other was completing “The 24 in 24” four times. Participants of the charity fundraising event run one mile every hour for 24 straight hours to raise money for children battling life-threatening illnesses.
Austin was among the event’s youngest-ever participants when he ran it for the first time at age 14.
“He took a lot of pride in what he did, in everything,” said Edward Christison, Austin’s stepfather.
His family explained for all his dedication and discipline, they’ll also remember him for his good nature.
“We both have very interesting senses of humor. He’s just always silly,” Edward Christison said.
Kaci Christison added, “He had such a big heart, and he loved with his whole heart. He was a good kid.”
Two weeks ago, both Christisons’ hearts were broken when they learned Austin had been killed in a shooting in the barracks at Camp Lejeune on Oct. 18.
“It’s something that never should have happened,” Kaci Christison said.
The base considers his death a homicide and said another Marine is in custody as a suspect but has not yet been charged. Investigators have released few details about the case to the public or to Austin’s family.
His mother said it’s frustrating not to know exactly what happened, but she said it’s not her current focus.
“Right now, I just want this to be about Austin,” she said. “I don’t want it to be about what happened to him, just about him.”
Austin has been the focus of community support in Lake County and beyond since his death.
On Tuesday, law enforcement, firefighters, veterans groups and others joined a procession from a Mentor funeral home to Cleveland Hopkins Airport to retrieve the lance corporal’s body in a “dignified transfer.” The procession drove back to Lake County, past Riverside High School, where Austin graduated in 2022, and back to the funeral home, where Marine pallbearers carried his casket inside.
“He would’ve loved it, all of it… the shutting down the freeway, just all of the people that came out. He would’ve loved every second of it,” his mother said.
The family has been encouraged by the outpouring of community support and the comments from his friends and fellow Marines.
“A few of his friends from boot camp have reached out and said they don’t know how they would’ve made it through boot camp without him,” Kaci Christison.
She hopes others are inspired to approach life with the same positivity Austin carried.
“Always remember to smile, find the good in everything, just remember to laugh,” she said.
More tributes are planned for the Marine this week:
- Public Visitation: 3-8 pm Friday, Nov. 3 at Brunner Sanden Deitrick Funeral Home and Cremation Center, 8466 Mentor Ave, Mentor, OH 44060
- Public Funeral Service: 10 am Saturday, Nov. 4 at the Riverside High School Field House, 585 Riverside Dr., Painesville Twp., OH 44077
