Two more military men with young children have been lost to war.
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Sergeant Raul Moncada from Madera, California died on April 13th, 2009
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Corporal Francisco X. Aguila from Bayamon, Puerto Rico died on April 14th, 2009
Sergeant Raul Moncada
Raul Moncada was from Madera, California. He graduated from Madera High School and immediately enrolled in the Marines at age 17. He was honored at one point as the youngest active-duty Marine in the country.
Moncada served in the Marines for six years before taking a one-year break and then joined the Army's military police program in June of 2004. He was assigned to the 10th Mountain Division based in Fort Drum, N.Y.
His first tour of Iraq was from November 2006 to March 2008. He returned to Iraq on February 12, 2009 to help train the Iraqi police. He wanted to become a state correctional officer after finishing his military career.
On April 13, Moncada was in a Humvee convoy that was returning to its base in Baghdad. He died from wounds sustained when a roadside bomb detonated near his vehicle. Sergeant Moncada was 29 years old at the time.
There was a recent story about Moncada in the Fresno Bee. It starts out:
Army Sgt. Raul Moncada was the father of Priscila, a 6-year-old girl with a toothy grin and a dimple that looks exactly like her father's. Moncada was expecting a second daughter, whom he had named Mia. He planned to return from his second tour of Iraq before her birth in July, end his decade-long military career and settle down.
That was the plan.
The story goes to tell of the Sergeant's family and his life. It relates how the family sent candy and coloring books that Raul gave to the Iraqi children and that the Iraqi locals thought he was Arab because of his dark skin. The article ends with these quotes:
On Friday -- less than two days before his death -- Alex Moncada text-messaged her brother about the game between the A's and the Mariners. "Ha, ha, Griffey struck out," she texted him. His playful reply: "Whatever. We're going to win." And the Mariners did.
That was the last time she heard from him.
"It just doesn't seem real," Miriam Moncada said.
Ruben Moncada agreed. "It's like I can't wake up."
Sergeant Moncada's awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraqi Campaign Medal with Combat Service, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Armed Forces Reserve Medal with "M" device and Combat Action Badge.
Sergeant Raul Moncada is survived by his parents and six siblings. He also leaves behind a 6-year old daughter and a baby girl who is due this summer.
Corporal Francisco X. Águila
Francisco X. Águila was born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. He joined the Army in March of 2000 and had been assigned to Fort Sam Houston in Texas and Camp Humphreys in South Korea. Águila was then assigned to the 82nd Finance Company of the 82nd Sustainment Brigade of the 18th Airborne Corps in March 2007.
He was in Afghanistan working as a finance specialist with the 18th Airborne Corps. His superior officers say he worked to ensure that members of the 82nd Sustainment Brigade received proper pay and access to benefits. He'd been in the country for nearly a year.
Corporal Francisco X. Águila died in the capital city of Afghanistan, Kabul, on April 14th. The circumstances of his death were unclear and military authorities were awaiting the results of an autopsy to determine the cause of his death. The Corporal was 35 years old.
These quotes about Corporal Águila appeared in the Fayetteville Observer:
"Cpl. Aguila’s competence and leadership were critical to the success of Bravo Detachment’s mission," said Maj. James Dobrinska, executive officer for the 82nd Sustainment Brigade. "He ensured that every trooper in the task force received their proper pay and benefits while serving our nation in combat.
"Cpl. Aguila was a dedicated family man, soldier and leader whose motivation and positive attitude left a lasting impression on all that knew him. He was invaluable to his company, to the brigade and to his fellow troopers. Cpl. Aguila will be missed by us all. We are devastated by his loss."
Most of the Corporal's close relatives live in Puerto Rico. Francisco Águila is survived by his wife and two daughters who live in Bayamón; a mother in the Levittown sector of Toa Baja; and a father who lives in the Bajadero area of Arecibo.
Águila’s death brings to 95 the number of Puerto Rican military members who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan since the onset of the conflicts, according to Madres Contra la Guerra, an island-based anti-war organization.
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