We come here tonight to celebrate the life of a 21-year-old Marine who gave his life for our freedom. Semper Fi, Lance Cpl. Jose L. Maldonado. At ease, your mission is accomplished.
The Department of Defense has announced the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Lance. Cpl. Jose L. Maldonado, 21, of Mathis, Texas, died Dec. 17 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.
God shall wipe all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death,
nor crying, nether shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
-Revelation 21:4
Since 2001, there have been 1419
American troops killed in Afghanistan.
Since 2003, there have been 4429
American troops killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom and 11
killed in Operation New Dawn. Please take a moment to honor their sacrifice.
.
While going to school in Mathis Independent School District, Lance Cpl. Maldonado played baseball, football and the tuba, Superintendent Maria Rodriguez-Casas said. Maldonado attended elementary and high schools in Mathis, she said. He went into the military soon after high school graduation as do many young adults in the city of about 5,200 people.
"His first passion was to go serve the country," she said.
Maldonado was raised by his aunt and uncle, George and Alicia Williams, Mathis Mayor Ciriaco "Ciri" Villarreal said.
"They’re a good family," he said. "Joe wanted to do better for himself and serve his country, which is why he joined the military. It’s especially hard in a small town for our young people, we don’t have jobs to offer them.
"This hits hard in our community, and our hearts go out to his family," the mayor said.
School district officials found out about Maldonado’s death on Friday, and the district plans to honor him after students return from holiday break in January, she said.
As mourners trickled by the house Sunday to offer condolences, George Williams made it a point to show them two items.
The first was a U.S. flag he strung in front of the house in honor of Lance Cpl. Jose Luis Maldonado, the nephew he calls son who was killed during combat in Afghanistan on Friday.
"I want the Taliban to know, they killed our son, but they’ll never kill the American spirit we have," he said.
The second was a sheet of construction paper adorned with a picture of a Christmas tree, signed and dated in careful print by Maldonado, who was then in the fourth grade.
After the 21-year-old Maldonado died in the volatile Helmand province, Williams retreated to a room with his guitar to write a song about his nephew. There, he found hanging on the wall the picture colored with markers and glitter glue and decided to hang it near the Christmas tree. Then he noticed the date on the picture: Dec. 17, 1998, exactly 12 years before Maldonado died.
"To me, it’s like an omen," Williams said. "He’s here with us. He’s here with us."
Williams and the rest of Maldonado’s relatives have spent the past few days trying to cope with the death of the Mathis Marine, known in his family for epic wrestling matches that rumbled throughout the house, his powerful throw during family baseball games, his insatiable appetite and, most importantly, his fierce, protective love for his family, friends and country.
"He really lived and breathed the idea that what he was doing was honorable," his cousin Jessica Williams, 34, said. "He loved it. That’s what he did. That’s what made him happy. That was his purpose in life — protection — whether it was family, friends or country."
George, Jose's Uncle said, "I am very very proud of him. Not just for the actions, for what he did, because he's always been a proud man. And I'm saying man because I saw him grow from a boy to a young man that served his country. And with all my heart, I am very very proud of him."
Source: Caller.com
Helping Our Troops
There would be no finer way to honor the fallen than to contribute to programs that assist our active duty military. Here are a few suggestions:
Evan Ashcraft Foundation - This foundation was established to assist soldiers returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan to adjust to civilian life. In particular this foundation's emphasis is on PTSD and traumatic brain injuries.
Fisher House - Provides a "home away from home" for military families to be close to a loved one during hospitilization for an illness, disease or injury.
Netroots For The Troops - raises money for the assembly, mailing and delivery of care packages to American military in war zones, and to provide assistance to military families in the United States.
Veterans Green Jobs - Our recently returned veterans need jobs and VGJ is now hiring for positions and filling training sessions. VGJ corps retrains veterans as leaders in natural resource conservation, green construction, and energy efficient upgrades of homes in rural areas.
Welcome Back Veterans - created to inspire Americans to give back to our returning veterans and their families and assist in particular with PTSD.
Wounded Warrior Project - To raise awareness and enlist the public’s aid for the needs of injured service service members, to help injured service members aid and assist each other and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet the needs of injured service members.
All of the U.S. fatalities can be seen here
and here. They
all had loved ones, families and friends. The DoD news releases are here. I Got the News Today is
intended to honor, respect and remind. Click the IGTNT tags below for previous
diaries.
Click the IGTNT tags to see the series, which was begun by i dunno, and which
is maintained by monkeybiz, noweasels, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, twilight
falling, joyful, roses, SisTwo, Spam Nunn, True Blue Majority, CalNM, Wide
Awake in Kentucky, Maggie Jean, Jax Dem, Kestrel 9000, csas, Sandy on Signal,
and me, Racheltracks.
Please bear in mind that these diaries are read by friends and family of
the service members chronicled here. May all of our remembrances be full of
compassion rather than politics.