No state has lost as much as California in the war on terror after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks; 776 men and women who called the Golden State home have died — that’s 11% of the nation’s total casualties from the war. Nearly 20% of those Californians who perished were old enough to die for their country but too young to buy a drink. They left behind 453 children. 

For the families — and the state — the loss from the war on terror is incalculable. We spoke to three families about loss, grief and the years that have passed since their loved ones were killed in April 2004.

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What did California lose in the war on terror?

 More than any other state in the U.S. With prayers and promises, a California city remembers a fallen 

Marine The young Marines wanted to help. They were the last Americans to die in the Afghanistan war