Peace to each manly soul that sleepeth;
Rest to each faithful eye that weepeth...
Thomas More
Staff Sergeant Roberto Loeza
DOD Identifies Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Staff Sgt. Roberto Loeza, 28, of El Paso, Texas, died May 25 in Charkh, Logar province, Afghanistan, when enemy forces attacked his unit with indirect fire. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss, Texas.
"He loved his country. He loved his family. He did this for his country and especially his family and his two children," said, Karina Loeza - Gasca, of her older brother, Army Staff Sergeant Roberto Loeza, 28, who was killed in Charkh in the Logar province, south of the Afghan capital, Kabul, on May 25th, when his unit was attacked. "He loved his job."
Staff Sergeant Loeza was an infantryman assigned to the 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division at Fort Bliss. He deployed to Afghanistan last fall, and was supposed to be home in approximately a month.
"He had already shipped his things. He planned for things, but God had other plans. We were supposed to be planning his arrival, and now we are planning his funeral," his sister said.
Having wanted to be in the army since childhood, Staff Sergeant Loeza joined the army in 2002. During his time in, he had earned an Army Bronze Star and the Purple Heart. He was previously stationed at Fort Benning, Ga., Fort Bragg, NC, and Los Angeles Recruiting Battalion. His military education includes Airborne, Combat Lifesaver’s Course, Warrior Leader Course, Army Recruiter, Advance Leader Course, Combatives Level II, Airload Planners, Unit Movement Officers Course, and the Air Assault Course.
In addition to his sister, Staff Sergeant Loeza leaves behind his wife, a 7 year old son, a 4 year old daughter, his parents, and other family and friends who love him.
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, noweasels, monkeybiz, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, twilight falling, joyful, SisTwo, SpamNunn, TrueBlueMajority, CalNM, Wide Awake in Kentucky, maggiejean, Kestrel9000, TheFatLadySings, Ekaterin and me, JaxDem. These diaries are heartbreaking to write, but are an important service to those who have died, and show our community’s respect for them.
Diaries about the fallen usually appear two days after their names are officially released, which allows time for the IGTNT team to find and tell their stories.
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Any Soldier – (Marine, Sailor, Airman or CoastGuardsman) Provides detailed information on sending care packages or cards and letters to deployed service members.
Books For Soldiers - View requests for and send troops books, DVDs, games and relief supplies.
Fisher House – Provides a “home away from home” for military families to be close to a loved one during hospitalization for an illness, disease or injury.
Homes For Our Troops – Building specially adapted homes for our severely injured veterans at no cost to the veterans.
National Coalition for Homeless Veterans – The VA estimates 107,000 veterans are homeless on any given night. There are ways to get involved or donate at the link.
Netroots for the Troops (NFTT) – This non-profit raises money for the assembly, mailing and delivery of care packages to American military in war zones.
Special Operations Warrior Foundation - Provides full scholarship grants and educational and family counseling to the surviving children of special operations personnel who die in operational or training missions and immediate financial assistance to severely wounded special operations personnel and their families.
USA Together - "It's like craigslist for Wounded Warriors". Brings together injured service members who need assistance as they recover, with the people who want to help them.
Veterans Green Jobs - Helps transition veterans into their communities and find career opportunities in environment sustainable sectors of our economy.
Welcome Back Veterans - Committed to providing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) treatment to our veterans and their families in a public/private partnership
Wounded Warrior Project - Their vision is to foster the most successful, well-adjusted generation of wounded warriors in this nation's history.
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