Television personality and AZfoothills.com columnist Nadine Toren is scouring the area, finding savvy Valley features, bringing readers “on the scene.” Every day she’ll introduce you to celebrities, athletes, and give you an inside look into local events and hot spots. She'll touch on topical issues, and keep AZ fans posted on all the big talkers around town.

This week we’re taking a look at A-list Arizona moms in honor of Mother’s Day.  Today, we are paying tribute to a mother now keeping her son's heroic legacy alive.

When Debbie Lee kissed her son goodbye before he deployed to Iraq, something in her gut told the Surprise, Arizona mother it would be the final time she’d see her baby boy alive.

“I remember thinking, ‘I don’t feel good about this.’  I think it was God trying to prepare me for what was to come,” said Debbie Lee, a Gold Star mother.

Debbie Lee’s son Marc was the first Navy SEAL killed in Iraq.

His name means “mighty warrior,” and Marc lived up to his title.

“He saved so many lives that day.  I am very proud of him,” said Lee.

This Valley mom now holds onto a mere memory of her warrior.  Marc was her youngest of three; a joyful, funny, easy-going guy voted Class Clown in high school.

“He lived on the edge—wasn’t afraid of anything.”

In high school, Marc developed a love for soccer, but didn’t have the skills to succeed in the sport.  However, the determined teen took to training, and came just short of pursuing his dream to go pro.  Marc blew out his knee the night before trying out for a Colorado soccer team, but his mom says it was fate—the mighty warrior was destined for greater things.

“Marc’s death was heroic.”

The fallen hero gained interest in the Navy while recovering from his knee injury.  Marc always felt connected to the military; he enjoyed watching army flicks, and both his brother and brother-in-law served our country.

He headed for Basic Training in Illinois after attending Aviation Ordinance School in 2001, and then called Coronado, California home for Buds training in Class 239.

Before become a SEAL, the young boy had to take part in the notorious “Hell Week,” and unfortunately for Marc, he experienced the torture two times around.  During his first stint, Marc got Pneumonia and Pulmonary Edema.

Love got in the way of going through “Hell Week” round two.  That’s because Lee says Marc’s newfound lady convinced her son the SEALS weren’t fit for a family guy, so Marc was assigned to the USS Enterprise in Virginia Beach.  However, joining the SEALS was clearly in his blood; Marc jumped through hoops to be readmitted to training, and in 2004, joined Class 251.

“He was in the running for ‘Honor Man;’ the top guy of the platoon.”

In April 2006, Marc deployed to Ramadi, Iraq with ST-3.  At the time, it was the most deadly area of the Mideast, known as a hellhole.

Despite her motherly instincts knowing Marc would not return home, Lee believed her son was designed and destined to live the life of an ultimate warrior.

“These men are Navy SEALS; superhuman, but still people.”