Soldier from Houston dies in Iraq two weeks into duty 21-year-old killed while fighting in Fallujah

houston chronicle ^ | April 7, 2004, 12:08PM | LUCAS WALL

[weegee]

April 7, 2004, 12:08PM

Soldier from Houston dies in Iraq two weeks into duty 21-year-old killed while fighting in Fallujah

By LUCAS WALL Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle

A 21-year-old Houston man stationed in Iraq less than two weeks died Friday during fighting with insurgents in Fallujah, his family said Saturday.

U.S. Marine Pfc. Leroy Sandoval Jr. died of a gunshot wound while manning a machine gun for his unit, the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. He's the 10th soldier from the Houston metropolitan area to die while on duty in Iraq, and the second Texan killed there in as many days. James Casper, a 20-year-old Marine from Coolidge, died Thursday from a noncombat injury, according to the Defense Department.

Seven other Marines were wounded during Friday's battle in Fallujah, about 35 miles west of Baghdad, as were six Iraqis. Four rebel soldiers and a freelance cameraman for ABC television also died in the fight, according to the Associated Press, which reported that the Marines and Iraqis fought for hours in the alleys of the city that has resisted American occupation since the ouster of Saddam Hussein a year ago.

On Friday night, a Marine and a U.S. Navy sailor brought the grim news to the Hobby Airport-area home of Sandoval's parents, Steve and Zaida Walters.

Sandoval's stepfather said the family had spoken with him Tuesday night, and he worried about going into dangerous Fallujah, site of numerous clashes, to relieve an Army unit due to return home.

"He asked his mom to pray for him; told her they were going into a real bad city," Steve Walters said. "He didn't like the name of that town from the start."

Sandoval had joined the Marines last May, shortly after U.S. forces toppled Saddam's regime, joining two cousins who also were Marines.

"We were hoping he wouldn't have to go there, to Iraq," his stepfather said. "But he was ready to do what he needed to do and was proud to do it."

The news came last fall that Sandoval's unit would head to Iraq this spring to relieve other troops for eight to 12 months. Later they would find out their assigned area would be Fallujah, where more than 40 U.S. soldiers have been killed in action.

"I think he kind of had some bad feelings like he might not come back. He told once of his cousins he might not live to be 25," Walters said. Before leaving for Iraq, "he made sure he told everybody goodbye and he loved them. There was kind of a realization there that this was really serious. One of his instructors told him, 'You have a 50/50 chance of coming home.' "

Sandoval grew up in South Houston and Pasadena. After his father left, he took responsibility for looking after his mother until she remarried seven years ago. He graduated from Pasadena's Harvest Christian Academy in May 2000.

His family, including 16-year-old sister, Amy Walters, would later move to southeast Houston. Failing to find a job that interested him, Sandoval talked with his Clear Lake-area cousins about joining them in the Marine Corps.

After signing up in early 2003, Sandoval was sent to boot camp in San Diego. His parents flew out there last August for his graduation.

"It was really an incredible ceremony for us," Walters said. "He had spent three years really not making good on any other opportunities -- they didn't seem to work out for him. So to see him really succeed at this was really inspiring for all of us."

Trained as an advance infantryman, Sandoval was assigned to Camp Pendleton north of San Diego. While sharpening his shooting skills, he also trained as a paramedic aide.

Walters said he enjoyed southern California, spending free time in Los Angeles and San Diego and exploring the nearby mountains. He was always active in sports and loved anything outdoors including motorbike racing, paintball, fishing, and hunting.

As word spread of his death, numerous relatives and friends gathered at the Walters home Saturday afternoon. His 22nd birthday would have been next month.

"Everyone coming over all remembers his laughter and that he had a very big smile," his stepfather said.

Walters said his family did not want to discuss their sentiments about the war or the political debate surrounding President Bush's failure to find weapons of mass destruction, one of the prime reasons cited for invading Iraq last year.

"Right now we strictly want to honor Leroy," he said.

Arrangements for visitation and services are incomplete, pending the return of Sandoval's body to Texas. His remains are scheduled to arrive at Dover Air Force Base, Del., Monday, where an autopsy will be performed prior to shipment home toward the end of this week.

Sandoval had hoped to return home after his Marine Corps service, dreaming of buying a truck and becoming a firefighter.

"He's going to missed," was all his mom was able to say in a soft voice Saturday evening, choking back tears.

[weegee]

Walters said his family did not want to discuss their sentiments about the war or the political debate surrounding President Bush's failure to find weapons of mass destruction, one of the prime reasons cited for invading Iraq last year.

"Right now we strictly want to honor Leroy," he said.

Reportedly the family has told KSEV 700AM (Houston) that the "reporter" was digging for some negative comments about the war in Iraq and President Bush specifically. When the family told the reporter that they wanted no negative sentiments about these things in the report about their son, this was how they were treated.

[weegee]

Here's a link to an online memorial for their son:

http://hcasaints.com/leroy_sandoval.htm

[Monty22]

Wow, what a hideous evil reporter to mention that stuff. Ghoul.

[cweese]

...i've been sending some quite rude mails to the houston chronicle in the past several weeks concerning their blatant bias against our President, our troops, and our country. they seem to be adopting the reuters vocabulary when they refer to terrorists as "insurgents" or "freedom fighters". makes me sick to my stomach. i can definitely believe the "reporter" was digging for neg. comments, just as i can believe the "editors" at that rag put him/her up to it. pathetic publication, imo...

[onedoug]

God bless and keep the soul of Leroy Sandoval Jr., and be with all our forces afield.

Onward the good!

[weegee]

The "revived" public Media Schadenfreude and and Media Shenanigans lists:

Freepmail An Amused Spectator to get on/off this list.

KSEV 700AM will probably have more on this story at 4PM CST when local host Dan Patrick goes on the air (until 6PM CST).

Streaming audio can be found here.

[Feiny]

I try to pray for the soldiers daily. I also have a good friend working for one of those security companies. He is very close to Fallujah and I have been keeping my fingers crossed for him and his family as well. He is one hard charging ex-marine who wanted to kick Iraqi ass one more time. he had been in the 1st Persian Gulf war and then in Somalia and several ther nasty places. His wife is hoping he gets this out of his system.

[weegee]

Houston PING

[krb]

He was a Marine, not a Soldier. God rest his soul.

[11th_VA]

Man its tough when you have kids they same age as this one - my thoughts are with the parents ...

[Integrityrocks]

"Walters said his family did not want to discuss their sentiments about the war or the political debate surrounding President Bush's failure to find weapons of mass destruction, one of the prime reasons cited for invading Iraq last year.
"Right now we strictly want to honor Leroy," he said. "

That was written so obviously to appear they were against the war. It was the first thing that entered my mind when I read it. That is just awful... terrible. I get so I think the hottest fires of hell are waiting for the liberal media members.

God bless this young man and his family. Prayers for all of them. Just God Bless them all.

[Izzy Dunne]

One of his instructors told him, 'You have a 50/50 chance of coming home.' "

Seems like a lousy thing for an Marine instructor to say.

[hopespringseternal]

This has to be heard to be believed. The callousness with which the reporter and editor treated this family is appalling.

[weegee]

Another trick to look out for is when the media tells us how many "Iraqi civilians" have been killed since the Iraq war started. Terrorist strikes against civilians should not be counted among the dead from American military missions.

A couple of months ago I heard one of the senator's claiming that the number is over 10,000 now. To hear the antiwar protestors in March of 2003, that number was expected to be over 1,000,000 Iraqi deaths.

[txjeep]

The family is hot about what the paper did. KSEV 700 interviewed the family (including a 10th grade sister) at the family's request yesterday. They are staunch Bush supporters, but they did not want to politicize the death of their son/brother. I heard the interview replayed this morning. An asst editor came on the show and gave a sorry excuse for an apology to the family then actually made excuses and justified the comment by saying "many parents who have lost loved ones in the war blame the president". This guy really made me want to throw up.

There are a lot of people canceling subscriptions today. This paper is the worst I have seen in the US. The NYT and WP are balanced compared to this one.

[alloysteel]

Iraq is a very dangerous place, and this young soldier was clearly in harm's way. It is a sad fact, but during exchanges of gunfire and ordnance, soldiers die, sometimes, it seems, with litle discernable benefit.

But let this young man's death not be taken in vain. He clearly believed in certain underlying convictions, else he would not have been there. There are people who want all Americans dead, and in the defense of the great mass of people both in this country and in Iraq who would dearly love for the attacks to cease, this young man offered up his skills and perspicuity to defeat that mindless brand of murderous madness. The stakes were, and are, high.

This is a test of will. Does law rule, or a raging mob?

[Joe Hadenuf]

Especially considering we are suppose to be the biggest military superpower on earth vs Iraqi street gangs.

[weegee]

I don't doubt the family's outrage or the offenses committed by the Chronicle (I cancelled my subscription years and years ago and told them that their liberal bias was the reason several times; they long ago stopped calling here).

I haven't voiced in more on this topic because I have not heard the family's own statement against the paper or the paper's rebuttal.

I do plan to listen to Dan Patrick's show and advise "out of towners" to advance this issue to some of the national broadcasters (I know that Dan has sat in for Michael Reagan and for Laura Ingrahm recently).

The media bias must be exposed especially in an election year.

[Integrityrocks]

Wow... thanks for that post. I hope that paper goes up in flames.

[Frank_Discussion]

I buy the Sunday Edition only, and just for the coupons. The rest pretty much gets tossed that afternoon.