news-record.com

GREENSBORO —  A U.S. Marine from Randolph County who suffered a gunshot wound to the head Wednesday in Afghanistan died Saturday. Lance Cpl. Christopher Jacob Levy was  21.

Levy was on life support in Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, a military hospital in Germany, said Kevin Sheek, Levy's stepfather. Levy's mother, Amanda Sheek, and biological father, Chris A. Levy, flew to Germany to be with him. He had no brain activity, Kevin Sheek said. 

Levy, called "Jacob" by his family, died at 8:50 p.m. Saturday. He was an organ donor.

"He was selfless to the end," Kevin Sheek said.

He joined the Junior ROTC in the seventh grade and decided to join the Marines in the 10th grade, signing the enlistment papers before he graduated Eastern Randolph High School in 2009. He was a wrestler and standout cross-country runner.

He also was a member of the Lumbee tribe. Levy was proud of his Native American heritage, his stepfather said.

Levy, who was stationed at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, was the oldest of four boys — Payne Sheek, 14; Elijah Sheek, 9; and Thunder Levy, 11.

This tour in Afghanistan, for which he volunteered, was Levy’s second. Levy was an infantry rifleman and machine gunner who previously helped train Kenyan soldiers, Kevin Sheek said.