Tonight, we gather to pay tribute to Spc. Orlando A. Perez, 23, from Houston, Texas, who gave his last full measure on Feb. 24 in Baghdad, Iraq. This gentle eyed hero was assigned to Company F, 2nd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany. Spc. Perez was a 2003 graduate of Bellaire HS, Bellaire, TX. He is survived by his wife, April.
There haven't been a lot of diaries about the civil affairs unit soldiers. They have a tough row to hoe. Their guns stay home most of the time. Their job is to try to bring normalcy back to neighborhoods. That's why it's so sad. Sad because we are left with the vacant chair.
The Vacant Chair: http://www.youtube.com/...
Spc. Perez's unit, Company F, 2nd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, a group of civil affairs specialists, has been responsible for many high-visibility restoration projects in the southeastern part of the Rashid district of Bagdhad. This "hearts and minds" effort involved providing security in Bagdhad's Rashid neighborhood, assisting in efforts to clean and restore the neighborhood streets and beginning to re-open the area businesses. Spc. Perez was killed by small arms fire during a security patrol in support of this effort.
Spc. Perez was part of a Stryker unit. A Stryker unit is an armored cavalry unit that utilizes the Stryker, an eight-wheeled all-wheel-drive armored combat vehicle. The Stryker Brigade Combat Teams are light and mobile units that rely on their vehicles for rapid deployment. http://www.globalsecurity.org/...
This is an example of a Stryker vehicle.
The Patriot Guard Riders will provide a flag line and escort from Hobby airport on Sunday morning (exact time is not confirmed) and will be attending the funeral service and the internment at Houston National Cemetery. http://www.patriotguard.org/...
Several relatives were at his family's home in southwest Houston Wednesday night, where a Catholic Mass was being said for him, a person at the home said.
http://www.chron.com/...
Spc. Perez was honored by his unit in a memorial ceremony at Rose Barracks chapel in Vilseck, Germany, home base of his unit, on Friday, February 29, at 11:00 a.m. One of his roommates left this message on the Stryker Brigade blog:
Perez will never be forgotten! I love you P! Rest in Peace! He was one of the nicest people you could ever know. Sad how this kind of thing happens to such a good person. My condolences go to his family and his wife April.
Perez's roomate and squad member
Spc Travis Tyrer
http://www.strykernews.com/...
His family, friends and brothers in arms will sorely miss him.
THE VACANT CHAIR
Words by H.S. Washburn Music by George F. Root (1820-1895)
We shall meet but we shall miss him.
There will be one vacant chair.
We shall linger to caress him
While we breathe our ev'ning prayer.
When one year ago we gathered,
Joy was in his mild brown eye.
Now the golden cord is severed,
And our hopes in ruin lie.
We shall meet, but we shall miss him.
There will be one vacant chair.
We shall linger to caress him
While we breathe our ev'ning prayer.
http://www.youtube.com/... - Don't listen, unless you want to cry.
Please find a place for Orlando Perez in your evening prayer.
I regret that I was unable to find more personal information to share with you about this fallen hero. Please feel free to update this information with your comments as more information becomes available.
About "I Got the News Today" (IGTNT): I Got the News Today is a diary series intended to honor service members who have died as a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; its title is a reminder that almost every day a military family gets the terrible news about a loved one.
Click here (http://www.dailykos.com/tag/igtnt) to see the series, which was begun by i dunno, and which is maintained by Sandy on Signal, noweasels, MsWings, greenies, blue jersey mom, chacounne, twilight falling, moneysmith, labwitchy, joyful, roses, SisTwo, monkeybiz, girl in MI and me, SpamNunn.
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