Remains of US Marine killed by four Pinoys now in New Jersey

The body of U.S. Marine George Anikow, who was killed during a confrontation with four Filipino men in Makati City on Nov. 24, was flown to his birthplace in Howell, N.J., where grieving family and friends held a two-day necrological service on Dec. 2 and 3 at Lakewood Funeral Home on Highway 9 South. Anikow’s remains were accompanied to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) by a seven-vehicle convoy from the U.S. Embassy on Nov. 30. The body boarded a Delta Airways flight. Born on May 28, 1971 to Saveta and the late Tscheda Anikow, he graduated from Howell High School in 1989 and    earned a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1993. He later became a resident of Herndon, Virginia, but moved to Manila, Philippines, in August 2012. Dedicated to a life of service, Anikow achieved the rank of major in the U.S. Marine Corps. He joined the Marines in 1993 and served eight years (1994-2001) as an infantryman and was currently on assignment as an Individual Mobilization Augmentee. A platoon commander with the 1st Marines/3rd Division, Kaneohe, Hawaii, he successfully completed a nine-month combat tour in Afghanistan in 2009, where he served as acting executive officer for the 4th Civil Affairs Group, 8th & I Marines, in charge of developing relationships with the local Afghan population. He was assigned with the J-5, Joint Chiefs of Staff at the time of his death. Anikow earned numerous awards and distinctions during his military career, including the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Navy-Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, and the Humanitarian Service Medal. He also served his country in the Diplomatic Security Service and the State Department. Anikow was an enthusiastic and beloved soccer and baseball coach, and an active participant in his daughter’s competitive cheer program. He is survived by his wife of 15 years, Laura Anikow, who is an American diplomat based in Manila; son, Jacob; and daughters, Grace and Sophie of Herndon, VA; mother, Saveta and sister Lishma of Howell; sister, Mary of Jersey City; sister, Ilma of Honolulu, HI; and a niece, Julia Kubeck, as well as close cousins. The Philippine Justice Department had earlier filed murder charges against the four suspects who, according to reports, come from well-to-do families — Juan Alfonso Abastillas, 24; Crispin dela Paz, 28; Osric Cabrera, 27; and Galicano Datu III, 22. Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has been coordinating with local police in monitoring the case, particularly the alleged delay in bringing the victim to a hospital after being stabbed in the neck by one of the assailants outside the gate of the upscale Bel-Air Village. An earlier report on GMA News said the agents were shown CCTV footage of the incident, from the initial confrontation of Anikow with the four men up to his stabbing, which caused his death. One of the questions the agents asked was why it took almost an hour for an ambulance to bring Anikow to a hospital, the same TV report said. According to police, the rescue unit who took care of Anikow apparently already mistook him as being dead. - Filipino Reporter