An away message changed everything for a 19-year-old CMU student last month.

Hart sophomore Trisha Kokx was checking her MSN instant messenger on Feb. 19 before class when she discovered a disturbing message left by her boyfriend’s brother.

The message stated, “R.I.P. Brett Witteveen. A piece of us all left with you.”

Kokx was engaged to Witteveen, who was serving as a private first class in the United States Marine Reserves in Iraq.

“I tried not to assume anything, but you never know,” Kokx said.

Shortly after reading the message, Kokx called her parents, but they were already on their way to Mount Pleasant to break the news to their daughter.

“I started freaking out,” Kokx said.

Witteveen was killed on Feb. 18 by a roadside bomb, which exploded while he was on foot patrol looking for improvised explosive devices, Kokx said.

The 20-year-old Hart native had been serving in Iraq since October.

Witteveen proposed to Kokx on July 26, which was right before he left for training in California.

A tentative wedding date had been set for September 2008, but it all depended upon whether or not he completed his service.

Kokx said she will remember her fianc

E-mail the author: defaultuser