Fallen Marine never spoke of danger, his mom says

Days before she learned her son died while in combat in Afghanistan, Liza Natkin received a letter from him saying he was giving candy to children and teaching them English.

The letters he sent and phone calls he made never spoke of danger, and his mother never imagined that she would get the news that her son, Marine Lance Cpl. Nathaniel J.A. Schultz, died Saturday while in a combat.

"He never talked about how dangerous it was," said Natkin of Dover. "He never said anything negative. We never had any reason to believe that he was in danger like he was."

Schultz, 19, joined the Marine Corps in June 2009. He was deployed to Afghanistan last month.

In the Marine Corps, Schultz was an assistant gunner. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat 7, I Marine Expeditionary Force Forward out of Camp Lejeune, N.C., and was promoted to lance corporal Aug. 1.

He had been awarded the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.

He was the youngest of four siblings and the only son. He graduated from Countryside High School in Clearwater in 2009.

He spent two years with the Florida Sheriff's Youth Ranch in Safety Harbor. The organization works with at-risk teenagers. Natkin said the experience made her son mature and take on responsibility.

"He went from being sarcastic and disrespectful to becoming this person that I knew existed but just didn't know how to reach," Natkin said.

A public memorial service will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday at Serenity Meadows Funeral Home, 6919 Providence Road, Riverview. A public funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Bell Shoals Baptist Church, 2102 Bell Shoals Rd., Brandon.

The burial will take place at 3 p.m. Saturday at Sarasota National Cemetery, 9810 State Hwy. 72, Sarasota.

An honor escort will begin at 9:35 a.m. Friday from MacDill Air Force Base to Serenity Meadows Funeral Home. The route of the escort will include Bayshore Boulevard, Florida Avenue, Jefferson Street, Channelside Drive, Kings Avenue, Lumsden Road and Providence Road.