Dead Marine left $162,000 posthumous Vegas party

• Tweet

YORK, England, June 20 (UPI) -- A British marine killed by a Taliban bomb in Afghanistan left nearly $162,000 for a celebration of his life -- in Las Vegas -- his friends said.

David Hart, 23, who was from Poppleton, near York, England, took out a $500,000 life insurance policy before going to Afghanistan, The Sun reported Monday.

In addition to the Las Vegas money for his friends, he left part of the insurance money to a charity for insured marines.

He wrote a letter saying he wanted to send his friends and their girlfriends to Las Vegas to party in his memory if he died.

Hart, a combat medic, was killed a year ago in Helmand province, an area with much Taliban activity, in Afghanistan.

"He loved going away with his mates -- it was always the best two weeks of the year," said friend Andy Hare, 25. "They were lads' holidays and great times."

Thirty-two of Hart's 'lads' will be taking the trip, including Hare, a construction manager.

"In his letter, David said he had had a great life and had no regrets about anything. He always said he would do something like this if something bad happened. He said, 'Go and have a good time and spend all this money,'" Hare said.

After Hart's death, Lt. Col. Paul James described him as "the perfect marine -- magnificent in personality and profession."