CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. — Shortly before deploying to Afghanistan, Marine Cpl. Zachary Pace asked his platoon sergeant what seemed like a routine question: would his Servicemembers Group Life Insurance policy, popularly known as SGLI, cover him if he was killed in combat.
Three months later, Cpl. Pace was killed after stepping on an improvised explosive device.
His platoon sergeant is still struggling with whether or not his death would have happened if it hadn't been covered by life insurance.
"Would he have been extra careful while planning his patrol routes, checked his five's and twenty-five's?" asked Staff Sgt. Mark Clatcher. "We'll never know."
