Based: Friedberg, Germany
1st Battalion, 36th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division
Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom
Died: August 27, 2006
Hit, Iraq
Married
Gender: Male
Hometown: Van Nuys
High School: Van Nuys Senior High (Van Nuys)
Foreign Country of Birth: Mexico
Burial: Rose Hills Memorial Park, Whittier
When he was sent to Iraq, Almazan, an immigrant born in Guadalajara, was working on his application to become an American citizen. "He is now officially one as of the day of his death," his wife said.
Almazan came to the U.S. with his mother and two sisters when he was 11, joining his father, who was already in this country.
Growing up in the San Fernando Valley, he was known as David Jimenez, reflecting his father's last name. In Mexico, his mother's maiden name, Almazan, was listed last on his birth certificate, a common practice there.
Jose Martinez, a childhood friend, said they would spend their summers together in the Valley. "We made a lot with a little. We had a lot of fun with the little money we had," he said. "He kept me out of a lot of trouble.... He kept me grounded."
Almazan graduated from Van Nuys High School in 1997. He attended Los Angeles Valley College and worked at Costco in Van Nuys.
Martinez said his friend was "taught from a very young age to be responsible for himself. He had to take care of other people. That got embedded in him.... He loved doing it. He was good at it."
Read more about Army Sergeant DavidJimenez Almazan here.
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