Israel Garcia, Army Sergeant -- Rest In Peace

Israel Garcia, 24

Army, Sergeant
Based: Vicenza, Italy
2nd Battalion, 503rd Airborne Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team
Supporting: Operation Enduring Freedom
Died: July 13, 2008
Wanat, Afghanistan
Married
Gender: Male
Hometown: Long Beach
High School: Polytechnic High (Long Beach)
Foreign Country of Birth: Mexico

Just set aside some time and go here to Israel Garcia's website.

Army Sergeant Israel Garcia is survived by his wife, Lesly Garcia; parents, Victor and Mari Cruz Garcia; brother, Ramsses, all pictured here; and many more family members and friends.

"He was going to return home in a few weeks and we had already booked reservations for a special vacation," Leslie Garcia said. "The last time we spoke on the telephone, he said, 'Babe, can you believe we're going to Spain?' "

*****

I was blessed enough to have the opportunity to coach Israel in soccer at Poly High School. He was a wonderful young man who knew what he wanted to do with his life. I remember how proud he was when he told me he would be entering the service, and that same pride he had when he visited with me on one of his leaves. My prayers go out to his family. Should we all be so fortunate to have know such a special person.
— Coach Cameron Beaulac
July 26, 2008 at 11:43 a.m.

More about Israel Garcia here and here.

Tad Trueblood
Honoring 'Heroes of Wanat'
On November 13, 2008, Tad Trueblood wrote an article about the battle in which Israel Garcia gave his life. Read it all here:

There are many lessons from what's now called the Battle of Wanat. Among them are the nature of our enemies in Afghanistan, and the urgent need for more U.S. troops and a better strategy there. But this week let's remember those 48 American warriors who repulsed a determined, well-planned assault by 200 to 300 enemy fighters.

And let's never forget those who paid the ultimate price to defend their brothers - and our liberty:

1st Lt. Jonathan P. Brostrom, 24, of HI.

Sgt. Israel Garcia, 24, of Long Beach, CA.

Spc. Jonathan R. Ayers, 24, of Snellville, GA.

Spc. Jason M. Bogar, 25, of Seattle, WA.

Spc. Jason D. Hovater, 24, of Clinton, TN.

Spc. Matthew B. Phillips, 27, of Jasper, GA.

Spc. Pruitt A. Rainey, 22, of Haw River, NC.

Spc. Gunnar W. Zwilling, 20, of Florissant, MO.

Spc. Sergio S. Abad, 21, of Morganfield, KY.

This updated entry was originally posted at Boom3 on Tuesday, July 13, 2010.

Jesse Jack Martinez, Army, Private 1st Class -- Rest In Peace

Jesse Jack Martinez, 20

Army, Private 1st Class
Based: Ft. Lewis, Wash.
5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division
Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom
Died: July 14, 2004
Tall Afar (near), Iraq
Single
Gender: Male
Hometown: Tracy
High School: Duncan-Russell High School (Tracy)
Burial: Tracy Public Cemetery, Tracy, Calif.

From the LA Times:

As a toddler, Jesse Jack Martinez earned his nickname "Toad" because of the way he asked for soda.

"He couldn't say 'soda,' so he said he wanted some 'toda,' " his mother, Jan Martinez, 49, recalled. "His godfather gave him that nickname."

Such memories bring a smile to her face, and she shares them with friends and strangers as she talks about her youngest son, who died July 14 in Iraq. But when she is driving, alone with her thoughts, the resolve crumbles. In the car is where "I break down, where something little sets me off."

But, she added, "I don't think Jesse would want me totally falling apart. He would want me telling people how proud I was of him."

She takes comfort in words from her son's commanding officer.

"He said that if Jesse was looking for his place in life, he found it in what he was doing over there," she said. "I would ask my son what kind of soldier he was; he would say, 'Mom, I'm the greatest.' But to hear from the commander that the men liked him a lot, that he was a morale booster, that he was so positive ... it made me very proud."

Army Pfc. Jesse Jack Martinez, 20, of Tracy, Calif., was one of two soldiers killed when their vehicle rolled over as the driver tried to avoid another vehicle in Talafar. He was assigned to the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, at Ft. Lewis, Wash.

Martinez is the fourth Tracy resident to die serving in Iraq since the war began last year.


Two days before he died, Martinez had called his mother from Iraq to give her good news.


"He said he thought he had his leave approved for the end of the month," she said. "He said, 'Mom, don't tell anybody please. I want this to be a surprise.' "


She sent him a care package that included cookies, pictures of his prized beige Ford pickup with new rims, and pictures of his month-old nephew, who was named after him.

In telephone calls from Iraq, his mother recalled, he said, "Baghdad was a big beautiful city, but then you would get through the really pretty part, and it was really poor." He also spoke of his fellow soldiers. "He talked about the closeness of his unit," she said. "They were part of his family."

His friends had urged the graduate of Duncan-Russell Continuation High School in Tracy not to join the service, his mother said.

"They told him, 'You don't want to do it; there's a war going on,' " she said. "But it was something he really wanted to do. Our town is not that big. He had worked a little bit and had got laid off, and he knew I couldn't afford to send him to college."

Portrait courtesy of Fallen Heroes Project

Martinez was born in Germany, where his father, Manuel Martinez Jr., was serving in the Army. The son planned to become a police officer when he left the service.

Jan Martinez's brother, Jeff Reed, a deputy in the Alameda County Sheriff's Department, had been an influence.

"I was quite honored that he would follow in my footsteps," Reed said. "He was by no means a warmonger or into guns or action movies. But he said this job was important to him, and he wanted to serve his country. And that's what he did with honor."

Martinez was buried with full military honors Thursday in Tracy. Besides his parents, he is survived by his brother, Manuel, 26, and sister, Teresa, 28.

Read more about Army Private First Class Jesse Jack Martinez in 

Military Times 

and at the Iraq Page. 

Visit Private Martinez's Guest Book. 

Trig Palin Interlude -- Trig With His Dad -- Video

Pedro A. Barboza Flores, Lance Corporal, Marines -- Rest In Peace

Pedro A. Barboza Flores, 27

Marines, Lance Corporal
Based: Camp Lejeune, N.C.
2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force
Supporting: Operation Enduring Freedom
Died: July 11, 2009
Helmand province, Afghanistan
Single
Gender: Male
Hometown: Glendale
High School: Hoover High (Glendale)
Foreign Country of Birth: Mexico

Barboza Flores was born in Durango, Mexico. At age 2, he moved with his family from Zacatecas to Los Angeles. When he was 12, his family moved to Glendale.
Barboza Flores was a mellow and light-spirited guy, who carried around a sketchbook everywhere he went, loved to collect comic books and play action video games, especially "Metal Gear Solid." He enjoyed science fiction and history books.

Among the comments left at the LATimes:

Barboza was a good friend of mine.. i met him in crewmans course in california.. we came to camp lejeune 2d lar bn in november 2008.. we hung out every weekend with the rest of our friends... he was much older then most of us and we all looked up to him not only as a fellow marine but as a father.. he was always callin me his son... always helping people out when ever he could... boza will always be in my heart and i will never forget him.. i love you bro and we all miss you very much
— LCpl Andrew Cavell
March 12, 2010 at 9:02 a.m.

Pedro; todos te recordaremos con carino y sobre todo ese gran valor que demostraste. Que Dios te tenga en su gloria.
-- tu prima Angelita

Read more about Lance Corporal Pedro A. Barboza Flores here and here.

Pedro Barboza Flores with his sisters, Aurora Alamillo and Lizet Barboza Flores, on a skiing trip in December 2007. Lizet visits her brother's grave in Glendale two to three times a week.

Pedro A. Barboza Flores' mother and father, Aurora and Nolberto Barboza Flores, center, are flanked by Tuskegee Airman Oliver Goodall, left, and WWII Bombardier Louis Zamperini, right. (John McCoy/Staff Photographer ) Story here.

This remembrance of Lance Corporal Flores is reposted from Boom3, Sunday, July 11, 2010, Pedro A. Barboza Flores, Lance Corporal, Marines -- Rest In Peace

Jason A. Tetrault, Marine Lance Corporal -- Rest In Peace

Jason A. Tetrault, 20

Marines, Lance Corporal
Based: Twentynine Palms, Calif.
7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division
Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom
Died: July 9, 2003
Not reported, Kuwait
Gender: Male
Hometown: Moreno Valley
High School: Moreno Valley High (Moreno Valley)
Burial: Riverside National Cemetery

Tetrault was already planning out his month of leave back in Moreno Valley. He wanted to go bungee jumping and skydiving and couldn't wait to see the Pacific Ocean again, his mother said. He planned to spend a week at the beach and wanted to see family and friends again.
"He didn't like having to sit; he liked to go, liked to play," Carriere said. "He was just always on the move. He liked being outside."
Tetrault planned to join the football team at the base in Twentynine Palms and to study computer programming in college. But his mother said he hadn't been looking too far into the future.

"Jason was the type of person that didn't make long-term plans," she said. "His theory was: You never know what life is going to throw at you."

Please go here for photographs and remembrances of Lance Corporal Jason A. Tetrault; and here to read more and visit his guest book here.

This is a repost of Marine Lance Corporal Jason A. Tetrault as remembered on Boom3 Friday, July 9, 2010.

Shabbat Shalom -- Jews of My Old Neighborhood

Bonus pics from the Rolling Photography Files:

All photographs courtesy of Contento, Ltd.

July, 2011, Brooklyn, NY

Traveling Mercies

Made it home.

William River Emanuel IV, Army Specialist -- Rest In Peace

William River Emanuel IV, 19

Army, Specialist
Based: Schweinfurt, Germany
1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division
Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom
Died: July 8, 2004
Samarra, Iraq
Single
Gender: Male
Hometown: Stockton
High School: Enterprise Alternative (Clovis)
Burial: San Joaquin Catholic Cemetery, Stockton

"I was a single parent and I worried a lot," his mother said. "... He knew he and his sister were the world to me, and they were very protective of me. I wanted them to be happy, but as a mother, I always had that fear. I wanted them to come home, to keep them safe with me."
Two weeks ago, Emanuel left a message on her voicemail, telling her that he was sending money, that he was fine and that he loved his family.
His mother tried to recover the message from her answering machine Thursday, a week after the 19-year-old Army specialist and four other soldiers were killed.
"I try to listen to it, but I can't get it back," his mother said, weeping. "I don't even have my last message from my son. I'll never hear his voice again."
Emanuel was killed when insurgents attacked a military headquarters with mortar rounds in the town of Samarra, north of Baghdad. The five soldiers killed were members of the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, based in Schweinfurt, Germany.

Read more about Army Specialist William River Emanuel IV here, here and here.

Reposted: Army Specialist William River Emanuel IV was previously remembered on Boom3 Thursday, July 8, 2010.

We Got Just What It Takes

Liken this Jakob Dylan but there's a reason I mostly listen to Latin music when I'm driving. The Latin melodies are pretty enough to make me happy but I can't understand the Spanish lyrics so they can't take me to the sad place -- like this pretty Dylan always seems to do.
No vague longings for me!
Anyway, it's summer so I'm road tripping.
The places I usually go in Arizona and New Mexico are aflame this year, not suited for tenting, so I headed east a few weeks ago.
Heading home now.
About to cross the Mississippi one more time, going west, at Vicksburg, then up through the delta, some Louisianan, mostly Arkansan delta, and on over to the Ouachitas, lakes and home.
Left arm red.
This kind of day has no night.
Birds flying low.
Window opened wide.

Next up:
All beloveds this way come for time under the loblolly pines in
Lake Ouchita State Park.

Farmall Tractors and the 4th of July -- Petersburg, WV

Here's my cousin Daniel, but we call him Bub, driving the Farmall in the 4th of July parade in Petersberg, WV.

Here he comes, everybody!

That's his dad, Daniel, but we call him Buddy, hopping on the back of the Farmall with Bub at the end of the parade. Bub was 15 when he drove in the parade on Monday. He's 16 now. Or close to it. Now when Bub drives his F-150, he'll be legal.

I'm partial to the Case tractors, especially the cantankerous old ones with the crank starter in the front -- thank you Lloyd for those good years on your farm -- but the Farmall cranks are fine machines, you bet.

Bonus picture:

Bub's F-150 with Remington:

All photographs courtesy of Contento, Ltd.

Roberto "Junior" Causor Jr., Army, Specialist -- Rest In Peace

Roberto "Junior" Causor Jr., 21

Army, Specialist
Based: Ft. Bragg, N.C.
2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division
Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom
Died: July 7, 2007
Samarra, Iraq
Single, 1 child
Gender: Male
Hometown: San Jose
High School: William C. Overfelt High (San Jose)
Burial: Oak Hill Memorial Park, San Jose

Causor occupied a special spot in the family hierarchy. Not only was he Roberto and Rocio Causor's firstborn, and their only son, he was the first grandchild on his mother's side of the family, so he never lacked for attention.
Growing up in San Jose, he was the giggling, outspoken boy who loved to play with toy guns and argued, fruitlessly, for his father to let him buy a real one. The kid who never liked to do his homework but who studied hard the last two years of high school so he could graduate early and join the Army. The tough but loving mentor to his younger sisters, Ruby, Mitzy Yareli and Wendy.
The plan was for Causor to return in October for good, to marry Contreras and then move together to New Mexico to live for a time with his parents. In March, he gave his father $11,000 to help him pay some of the bills that had accumulated since his parents' clothing store was forced to close.

*****

The son of Mexican parents, Causor was born in San Jose and spent many of his childhood and teen years here. He was proud of his roots and his family's adopted country where several relatives started their own construction and electrical businesses, said his uncle Francisco Causor.
By joining the military when he graduated in 2004 from Overfelt High School, "in a way that was kind of a payback, in gratitude," for the success and freedom many of his relatives enjoyed in the United States, Francisco Causor said.
Read the rest here.

Read more about Army Specialist Roberto "Junior" Causor Jr. here and visit his guestbook here

He was my soldier and a good one at that. Never complained and always did as he was told. He has a beautiful baby girl that he never got to meet. We all miss him. Here is a picture so he will not be forgotten. 

SSG Jason Wheeler

Previously posted at Boom3 on Wednesday, July 7, 2010.

Nicolas H.J. Gideon -- Army, Private 1st Class -- Rest In Peace

Nicolas H. J. Gideon, 20

Army, Private 1st Class
Based: Ft. Richardson, Alaska
1st Squadron, 40th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division
Supporting: Operation Enduring Freedom
Died: July 6, 2009
Forward Operating Base Salerno, Afghanistan
Engaged
Gender: Male
Hometown: Murrieta
High School: Chaparral High (Temecula)
Burial: Riverside National Cemetery

His family last saw Gideon in early June when he came home from Afghanistan on leave. "It was so awesome," his mother recalled. They celebrated his stepfather's birthday. And Gideon proposed to his high school girlfriend, Wendy Herman.
"We took so many pictures," Carol Tyndale said. "We had so much fun. Then a week and a half later, he was gone."
In addition to his mother, stepfather and fiancee, Gideon's survivors include five siblings and his father, Hugh Gideon of Las Vegas.

The convoy bringing young Nicolas Hugh Joseph Gideon home included 60 motorcycle escorts from the Patriot Guard Riders, a volunteer group that met the casket on its arrival from Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. The group accompanied the family home, then to Gideon's funeral at Cornerstone Community Church and burial at Riverside National Cemetery.
Read more about Pfc. Nicolas H.J. Gideon here and here.

As of July, 2009, Nicolas Gideon is the 13th service member from Southwest County to have died while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan.
The others are:
- Marine Capt. Aaron Contreras, 31, of Temecula
- Army Pfc. Daniel Parker, 18, a 2002 graduate of Elsinore High School
- Marine Cpl. Matthew Matula, 20, of Murrieta
- Marine Staff Sgt. Jorge Molina Bautista, 37, of Sun City
- Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Justin Hunt, 22, a 2000 graduate of Elsinore High School
- Marine Corps Maj. Kevin Shea, 38, of Temecula
- Army Sgt. Stephen Saxton, 24, a 1998 graduate of Temecula Valley High School
- Army Sgt. Nathan Bouchard, 24, a 1999 Elsinore High School graduate
- Marine Staff Sgt. Dexter Kimble, 30, of French Valley
- Marine Lance Cpl. Jeromy West, 20, a 2004 graduate of Hamilton High School in Anza
- Army Capt. Brian Freeman, 31, of Temecula
- Army Specialist Mary Jane Jaenichen, 20, of Temecula

This is reposted from Boom3, Tuesday, July 6, 2010.

Interview of Life -- Chad B. Maynard -- His Grandmother Speaks

Today is the Fourth of July.
Happy Birthday America.

How did we get here?
Here's how; real men and real women, and their families at home, give of themselves, give their all, to give to us.

Marine Lance Cpl. Chad B. Maynard, 19, Montrose, CA -- Requiescat in pace

Previously linked on Boom3 within the post for Marine Lance Corporal Dion M. Whitley.


From Military Times:

Hundreds gather to pay respects to fallen Marine 

MONTROSE, Colo. — The father of a Marine killed in Iraq told about 300 people gathered at a memorial in a high school gym Monday that his son knew the risks that went with serving his country.
Lance Cpl. Chad Maynard, 19, died Wednesday in Ramadi, Iraq, when the Humvee he was driving struck an improvised explosive device.
“When you take the oath, you always know the possibility exists,” said the Marine’s father, Gene Maynard, who himself is a former Marine who served in Vietnam.
“It’s just too bad. I think the world was a much better place with him in it.”
Chad Maynard participated in Montrose High School’s Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, elective courses taught by the military services at more than 3,000 high schools nationwide.
“I wanted to be just like him,” said Bob Edie, who was one year behind Maynard at the school. “He was a good man — strong, courageous.”
Friends previously described Maynard as an invincible, natural leader who lived and breathed the Marines. Gene Maynard previously said his son began pestering recruiters years before he could join until they told him to stop.
Chad Maynard’s brother, Jacob, will accompany the fallen Marine’s body to Colorado, where a funeral is being planned in the Denver area.
“We thought he was the guy that nothing would happen to,” friend Tom Sramek said Friday upon learning of Maynard’s death.

Birth of daughter to slain Marine a bittersweet occasion
MONTROSE, Colo. — Gene Maynard is happy to be a grandfather to a 6-pound, 5-ounce blonde-haired baby girl, but he’s sad that she’ll never get to know her father.
Lance Cpl. Chad Maynard was killed in Iraq earlier this year.
“I sometimes wake up and don’t believe it’s true,” he said. The Montrose Marine was killed on June 14 when the Humvee he was riding in hit a roadside bomb.
Chad Maynard’s wife, Becky, gave birth to Lanae Raelyn Maynard at 11:40 p.m. on Tuesday at a Phoenix hospital.
Gene Maynard said mom and baby “are doing fine.”
A college education fund has been set up at First National Bank in Montrose for the baby and has reached $6,000, said bank manager Randy Havens.
Money is also being raised to erect a lighted flagpole and plaque at a park in town. Gene Maynard said that his son organized rallies there to support the troops.

Chad B. Maynard

Jason W. Morrow, Marines, Corporal -- Rest In Peace

Jason W. Morrow, 27

Marines, Corporal
Based: Camp Pendleton
3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force
Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom
Died: June 27, 2006
Taqaddum, Iraq
Married
Gender: Male
Hometown: Riverside
High School: Buena Vista High (Corona)
Burial: Riverside National Cemetery

Morrow was a machine gunner on a Humvee when he was wounded by an improvised explosive device in Balad. He died June 27. His body arrived in the United States on the Fourth of July, his father's birthday.
Jason Morrow had taken the machine gunner's role just over a week after the previous gunner, one of his best friends, had also been killed by a roadside bomb, said his father, William Morrow.

Cpl Jason W. Morrow, USMC, Operation Iraqi Freedom; Operation Enduring Freedom
Our son Jason Morrow had always wanted to be a Marine since childhood. He was granted his most precious dream on December 9, 2002. He lived his dream, loved his family, and protected the innocent to the fullest.  He was liked by all who knew him; he loved those he knew. His love was baseball and hotdogs with his favorite team the Angels; he loved family events where he could be himself; and be a Marine, who are and will always be the BEST on this planet. He was loved by so many but no one loved him more than us; his family who knew him best. He will be missed but not forgotten. He will always be our HERO.

July 04, 2007
Dearest Son-

It has been a year since we met you at Ontario Airport. All I know is that your father and I stood in silence and wept as they brought you out from the flight with Old Glory on your casket. Your father and I have never felt such heart ache. I know you are safe now, I know you are in a better place now; but you are loved and still very much missed by your family. You had what most people never find in a life time, true friends. You would have been so proud of Tim, your brother from another mother. We miss you. Thank you for your wonderful memories that you left with all of us. We continue to miss you.
~  Kristin Morrow, Riverside, California

Read more about Corporal Jason W. Morrow in the LA Times.

Visit Corporal Morrow's Guest Book.

Marine Corporal Jason W. Morrow previously remembered
here at Boom3 on Monday, June 27, 2011
and here at Boom3 on Sunday, June 27, 2010.

Rogelio A. Ramirez, Marines, Lance Corporal -- Rest In Peace

This is reposted from Boom3, Saturday, July 3, 2010.

Thinking about this picture taken at the Veterans Day Parade last November, standing curbside at the Ritchie Valens Rec Center in Pacoima, when the Ramirez family motored by, offering all of us there a moment to view this portrait honoring their beloved Lance Corporal Rogelio A. Ramirez, age 21.

Been thinking about the Ramirez family, thinking of their unspeakable grief, their familial pride, their own bravery, been thinking about young Rogelio Ramirez, since that day.

Independence Day weekend seems an appropriate time to post this Gold Star photograph.

Ramirez's father came to the U.S. from El Salvador. He had been a member of a local militia during the civil war there and tried to talk his son out of enlisting. But Ramirez was determined, working two years to retire debts and even removing a small gang tattoo from his hand with scissors.
--Times obituary

When he walked out that door, he walked out whole. He had himself together. He had purpose. He was determined. I wouldn't have taken that from him.

— Irene Ramirez, mother

Requiescat In Pace.

Rogelio A. Ramirez, 21

Marines, Lance Corporal
Based: Camp Pendleton
1st Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force
Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom
Died: August 26, 2007
Saqlawiya, Iraq
Single, 1 child
Gender: Male
Hometown: Pasadena
High School: Pasadena High (Pasadena)
Burial: Mountain View Cemetery, Altadena

If you'd like additional information about Lance Corporal Rogelio A. Ramirez,
look here, here or here.