Conrad A. Mora, Army Staff Sergeant -- Rest In Peace

Conrad A. Mora, 24

Army, Staff Sergeant
Based: Joint Base Lewis-McChord
5th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, 17th Fires Brigade
Supporting: Operation Enduring Freedom
Died: July 24, 2010
Qalat, Afghanistan
Married, 1 child
Gender: Male
Hometown: San Diego
High School: Morse High (San Diego)
Foreign Country of Birth: Philippines

San Diego Union Tribune story on Army Staff Sergeant Conrad A. Mora:

Soldier is remembered as family man, local athlete
BY WENDY FRY, ASSOCIATE STAFF WRITER
MONDAY, JULY 26, 2010 AT 9:29 P.M.

Army Staff Sgt. Conrad Mora’s job in Afghanistan was to clear roads of explosives.
That duty killed him Saturday.
Mora, a 24-year-old from San Diego, was on his second deployment to Afghanistan. He was leading a group of soldiers when their military vehicle ran across a roadside bomb in the town of Qalat. Three other soldiers also died in the attack.

Military life “was his passion,” said his brother-in-law, Christian Lleva. “His passion was serving.”
Mora’s body was returned to Dover Air Force Base, Del., on Monday. His mother, Carmelita, of National City, traveled to Philadelphia to identify his remains, Lleva said.
Mora’s wife, Ann, had moved to Washington state with her husband before his deployment. He also is survived by his 1-year-old son, Christopher; his father, Alejandrino Mora; and his sister, Carmela.
Mora’s family moved to San Diego from the Philippines when Mora was a child, around age 9 or 10, Lleva said.

Mora attended Morse High School and played football there, Lleva said. He also practiced mixed-martial arts such as jujitsu.
His family, particularly his young son, was especially important to him, Lleva said. His mother sent an e-mail to Conrad wishing him a happy Father’s Day last month. And though he was far away from his family and his home, he wrote back one simple sentence.
“You really know how to make me smile,” the return e-mail said.
The last time Mora’s family saw him was in May, when they shared a meal at Goldilocks, a bakery and Filipino cuisine restaurant in National City.
“After dinner we came back here, and we all talked for hours and hours,” Lleva said.

He said the family was disappointed he had to deploy to Afghanistan for the second time after having served a year in combat.
“We don’t really have anything to say about it,” said Lleva, a Marine. “If they want us to go somewhere, we don’t have a choice.”
During his six-year career, Mora received six Army Achievement Medals and an Army Commendation Medal, said a public affairs officer with Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington.
“Clearly, he was recognized by his leaders for something,” the officer said.

Besides serving his country, he was also passionate about music. “He would rap about anything,” Lleva said. “He could make anything rhyme.”

Mora died with three other soldiers: Sgt. Daniel Lim of Cypress, Spc. Joseph A. Bauer, 27, of Cincinnati; and Pfc. Andrew L. Hand, 25, of Enterprise, Ala.
The battalion deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in October.
Memorial service arrangements have not been announced.