In this world of change,
Naught which comes stays,
And naught which goes is lost.
- Madame Anne Sophie Swetchine
Our neighbors in California, Minnesota, and Hawaii are mourning two small-town boys who grew up to be fine Marines. We honor them tonight. They are gone, but never forgotten:
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Lance Corporal Alfonso Ochoa, Jr. from California
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Staff Sergeant Aaron J. Taylor from Minnesota
Lance Corporal Alfonso Ochoa, Jr.
Alfonso Ochoa, Jr. was a native of the community of Armona, California. Ochoa was scheduled to graduate with his high school class of 2008 in nearby Hanford, California, but wanted to get out earlier to join the Marines. Toward that end, he transferred to Hanford Adult School and graduated in December of 2007.
Hanford West High Principal Bobby Peters talked about Ochoa and is quoted by the Fresno Bee News site:
Ochoa's friend, 19-year-old Armona resident Nohelia Cordova, said he "couldn't wait" to join the Marines. She called him a good and honest person, who loved soccer and Mexican rock music. "He was real motivated," Cordova said. "He tried to motivate others."
Joining the Marines became Ochoa's goal during his junior year at Hanford West, said Peters, who was an assistant principal at the time.
Peters said he remembers Ochoa always having a smile on his face during their many conversations when the teenager sought Peters' advice.
Ochoa entered the Marine Corps in January of 2008, and reported to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment on July 20, 2008. The 3rd Marine Division is part of the III Marine Expeditionary Force which is based at the Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneoke Bay.
Alfonso Ochoa was married about six months ago while on furlough. He was only about a week away from leaving Afghanistan to be reassigned to a base in Hawaii on October 10th when a tragedy happened.
Lance Corporal Alfonso Ochoa died while he was supporting combat operations in Afghanistan. Ochoa was 20 years old when he was killed by a roadside bomb in the Farah province of Afghanistan.
Ochoa’s awards include the Purple Heart, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.
The funeral arrangements for Lance Corporal Alfonso Ochoa, Jr. have not been announced yet, but will be attended by the Patriot Guard Riders.
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Staff Sergeant Aaron J. Taylor
Aaron Taylor was born in Duluth, and grew up in the Iron Range community of Bovey in rural northern Minnesota. A trumpet player, he won the Louis Armstrong Jazz Band Award while in high school. He played in the jazz and pep bands, was on the wrestling team, and managed the hockey team.
Aaron Taylor graduated from Greenway High School in Coleraine in 2000 with honors. He took classes at a local community college toward a career in law enforcement, and then decided to enlist. He was assigned to Marine Wing Support Squadron 372, Marine Wing Support Group 37, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force, which is based at Camp Pendleton in California.
Taylor was a Marine for eight years and had completed a tour in Iraq. He had been in Afghanistan for six weeks assigned to the Helmand province, which is known as a Taliban stronghold. He was initially trained as a rifleman but switched to specializing in explosive ordnance disposal, an extremely dangerous duty. The explosive ordnance technician was 27 years old when he was killed on October 9th. Reports state that he stepped on a buried bomb while checking a bridge for explosive devices.
According to Taylor's father, Clifford Taylor, of Two Harbors at the Examiner site:
"He was telling me that they were doing good things over there," Clifford Taylor said. "They had built some schools. He was new to the unit when he came on board, but they say that everybody just liked him and they were all glad to work with him. And he was very proud to be serving with this group of men. They all knew their jobs and they were professionals all the way."
Aaron Taylor was based at Camp Pendleton, Calif., and had recently bought a house in Temecula, Calif., near the base, his father said.
"He had spontaneous wit and was a very caring individual," Clifford Taylor said of his son. "Very intelligent. His goal was to be promoted to gunnery sergeant before his third enlistment. I think he would have made it. It's tough to do."
Among his citations is the Navy/Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon. Aaron Taylor is survived by his father, Clifford, his stepmother, Cindy, half-brother, Kyle, and his half-sister, Bailey.
At his funeral Staff Sergeant Aaron J. Taylor's remains will be accompanied by a Marine Honor Guard, which will provide graveside military honors. Burial will be at the Sunrise Memorial Cemetery in Hermantown, Minnesota this weekend. The Patriot Guard Riders will attend the services.
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Helping our troops:
If you wish to assist our military and their families, consider Operation Helmet, or Fisher House. Sponsoring a deployed service member at TroopCarePackage.com can provide letters or care packages that make a real difference in a military person's life. To assist the animal companions of our deployed military, information is available here. Also, you could visit:
When our veterans come back home, they need jobs. Look at the programs of Hire Heroes USA and Welcome Back Veterans to see if you can help out. The new KINship Project has also been of help to our veterans and other Kossacks In Need.
About the IGTNT series:
"I Got the News Today" is a diary series intended to honor, respect, and remind us of the sacrifice of our US troops. Click here to see the series, which was begun by i dunno, and which is maintained by Sandy on Signal, monkeybiz, noweasels, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, twilight falling, joyful, roses, SisTwo, SpamNunn, a girl in MI, JeNoCo, Mediaprof, TrueBlueMajority, JanosNation, Proud Mom and Grandma, and Ministry of Truth. These diaries are heartbreaking to write, but are an important service to those who have died, and show our community’s respect for them.
Fallen service members whose names have been released by the US Department of Defense will usually be diaried two days after the official announcement on the DoD website. This allows the IGTNT team to cover each person more fully, but still in a timely manner
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Please bear in mind that these diaries are read by friends and family of the service members mentioned here. May all of our remembrances be full of compassion rather than politics.