MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- Not even in kindergarten yet, Nicole McDonough has lost her family. But she has gained legions of supporters - from her brother's second-grade classmates to her father's Marine comrades - who are rallying behind the little sole survivor.
The 5-year-old De Luz Housing resident recently lost her entire immediate family - her father, Sgt. Richard McDonough, 31; mother, Sarah, 29; and brother, Richard, 7. They all died in a car accident April 17 in Valencia on the Golden State Freeway.
Nicole sustained only scratches in the crash, said her grandfather, Richard McDonough.
Her father served with Company C, 9th Communication Battalion, I Marine Expeditionary Force.
In response to the tragedy, the Marine Corps and Mary Fay Pendleton Elementary School are supporting Nicole and her relatives as they try to cope. McDonough's unit has assisted the family in various ways - from taking up a collection in Nicole's name to handling legal affairs and moving the family's possessions out of their house.
"We have just been overwhelmed by the tenderness and the comfort of all the Marines we've dealt with," said Richard McDonough. "Everything has been done very well and very professionally, with a great degree of sincerity.
"Nicole's emotional well-being is our greatest concern that she can emotionally adjust through this," added McDonough, a former Marine Corps officer. "She has obviously taken this very hard. As with all 5-year-olds, she was very close to her mom and dad."
Sgt. McDonough's unit bused scores of Marines to his funeral. The battalion also set up the Nicole McDonough Trust Fund. Marines within the unit took up a collection to jump-start the account.
"The whole thing is a tragedy," said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Wendy J. Carpenter, a telephone systems officer with Headquarters and Support Company, 9th Comm. Bn. "We're just trying to show our support. Anything that (McDonough's father) has asked, we've done our best to help him with."
Nicole's grandfather said the Corps has come through for Nicole.
"Although Nicole is too young to understand, we think that it will be a comfort in the years to come for her to know that the Marine Corps was very compassionate in dealing with her loved ones," he said.
Richard was popular among his second-grade classmates, according to Lynne Gilstrap, the school's principal.
"He was wonderful, absolutely a doll," she said. "Every kid in the classroom loved him. His smile was absolutely the most contagious smile I've ever seen."
Richard's class planted a tree on campus April 20 in honor of their fallen classmate. Moreover, the class collected donations and purchased children's books that later were presented to Nicole.
"All of the books had a plaque on the inside (denoting) who dedicated the book to her, so that as she gets older, she can use it to remember her brother," Gilstrap explained.
While concerned for Nicole, Gilstrap is confident her future is in good hands.
"I'm not sure if the impact has really hit her yet. Losing a family is especially hard at her age," she said.
Nicole's aunt, Heather Quigley of Camarillo, will become the child's legal guardian, her grandfather said.
The accident occurred while the family was on their way to visit McDonough's sister. While merging onto the freeway, Sarah McDonough veered left to avoid hitting another vehicle, according to a report in the North County Times, citing the California Highway Patrol's accident report. McDonough's vehicle hit the concrete freeway wall, according to the report. Their vehicle then bounced into the freeway lane, where a truck struck it, according to the report.
To donate to Nicole's trust fund, call Carpenter at 763-0074.
E-mail Lance Cpl. Redding at daniel.redding@usmc.mil.