Fallen Marine's letter marks Memorial Day in Kabul

U.S. Marines conduct an operation to clear a village of Taliban fighters on July 5, 2009 in Mian Poshteh, Afghanistan ((Joe Raedle, Getty Images)

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan has observed Memorial Day by reading a letter written by an American soldier to his family before he died earlier this year.

Gen. John Allen said during a ceremony Monday in Kabul that the words of his fellow Marine, Sgt. William Stacey, speak for all fallen troops.

The 23-year-old Stacey told his family it would be worth giving his life for the safety of an Afghan child who may one day change the world.

Stacey was killed by a homemade bomb while on a foot patrol in southern Helmand province on January 31st.

At least 1,851 members of the U.S. military have died in Afghanistan as a result of the U.S.-led invasion in 2001, according to the latest Associated Press count.