Slain Marine Immigrated to U.S., Alone, as a Teen(Hero from Guatemala died for America)

LA Times, via cantonrep.com ^ | 3/.24/03 | LA Times

[Diddle E. Squat]

LOS ANGELES — Long before he ever traveled to the Persian Gulf, Marine Lance Cpl. Jose Gutierrez was acquainted with perilous and uncertain journeys.

Lanky, quiet and full of ambition, Gutierrez, 22, is believed to be the second U.S. serviceman to die in combat, an American Marine with a distinctive Southern California background: He was among thousands of Central American immigrants who for years have made their way north in dangerous personal odysseys.

At age 16, he had traveled by himself from his home in Guatemala, making his way across Mexico into the United States, where he was taken in by an older couple, who late in life had begun sheltering immigrant children.

Gutierrez made the 2,000-mile journey across the continent as one of many underage immigrants who come here from Latin America each year, seeking family members or jobs.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Click the link for an excellent article. He came to America, quickly learned English, and volunteered for the Marines last year.

[Diddle E. Squat]

... Gutierrez “wanted to give the United States what the United States gave to him. He came with nothing. This country gave him everything.”

[Diddle E. Squat]

The AP's version:

http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20030324&Category=APN&ArtNo=303240582&Ref=AR

Second American to die in Iraq risked life to come to the U.S.

The Associated Press


One of the first U.S. servicemen to die in Iraq had already risked his life for the American dream.

Like thousands of other Central American immigrants, Marine Lance Cpl. Jose Gutierrez made the dangerous 2,000-mile journey from his native Guatemala, across Mexico and over the border into Southern California as a teenager.

Gutierrez was hit by enemy fire and died Friday in battle near the Southern Iraqi city of Umm al Qasr, while fighting with fellow Marines, a military spokesman said. He was the only one among them killed.

He is believed to be the second American to die in combat. Second Lt. Therrel S. Childers, 30, of Harrison County, Miss., was also killed in combat Friday.

Gutierrez was 16 when he came to Southern California, without family or friends. Longtime friend Hector E. Tobar told the Los Angeles Times that Gutierrez rode 14 trains to reach the border. Gutierrez was among the lucky ones. He found shelter with an older couple that took in immigrant children.

He dreamed of becoming an architect.

Marcelo Mosquera, a machinist from Ecuador, and his wife Nora Mosquera, a marketing representative from Costa Rica - who became surrogate parents to Gutierrez - told the Spanish-language station KVEA-TV in Los Angeles that Gutierrez "would go after whatever was put in front of him to reach is goal."

The Mosqueras' adult daughter, Jackie Baker, told KVEA-TV that Gutierrez "wanted to give the United States what the United States gave to him. He came with nothing. This country gave him everything."

Gutierrez was an older brother to the younger children taken in by the Mosqueras. Neighbors told the Times he often was seen playing with them and taking them to the nearby McDonald's restaurant.

He was "very helpful and very friendly...nice and courteous," said Dina Purdue, who lived near the Mosqueras' two-story home in Lomita, about 20 miles south of downtown Los Angeles.

Officials from the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala notified Gutierrez' older sister Sunday night. The woman, whose name was not immediately released, lives in a poor section of Guatemala City and was listed as his only next-of-kin in military records, said Guatemalan Consul General Fernando Castillo of Los Angeles.

"She does not have a phone, so it is difficult to reach her," Castillo said. He said Gutierrez' sister hoped to bring her brother's body back to Guatemala.

But social worker Wendy Perlera, who worked with the Marine when he first came to the United States, said she wanted to bring Gutierrez body back to California and hoped to obtain visas for his sister and her husband to come to the United States.

Gutierrez became an infantry rifleman with the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, according to Camp Pendleton officials in early September. They did not say when he was deployed to the gulf.

Another Californian, Navy Lt. Thomas Mullen Adams, 27, was killed Saturday when two Royal Navy Sea King helicopters collided over international waters.

Four other marines were killed during the crash of a CH-46 helicopter Friday.

On Sunday, newspapers, radio and TV stations throughout Guatemala City carried stories on Gutierrez. The American Embassy in Guatemala estimates that nearly 1,500 Guatemalans or Guatemalan Americans are in the U.S. military.

Many Guatemalans expressed sympathy for Gutierrez and others fighting in Iraq, but at the American Embassy on Avenida Reforma, activists had decked the trees and fences with white ribbons to symbolize peace.

[kellynla]

Rest in Peace. Another fine example of what the Corps is all about. Semper Fi

[American Soldier]

That's not really fair to Malkin. She doesn't insult her own family of immigrants, who have not been in the least bit parasitic. Nor can anyone who has read any of her writing deduce that she is referring to the "zeal of a convert" type immigrants who join the armed forces and are often very outspoken patriots.

Don't let the slackers share in any of the accolades we owe this brave Marine.

[VOA]

bring Gutierrez body back to California

He's more than earned his spot in the National Cemetary here in West Los Angeles
(or other National Cemetary in California)...

As far as I'm concerned the blood of these departed folks in the coalition force...
drips from the hands of Chirac, Schroeder and their ilk.

[Catspaw]

I read the article earlier today and it choked me up. He has made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

There.

[Leatherneck_MT]

And when I get to heaven
St Peter I will tell
Another Marine Reporting Sir
I spent my time in Hell.

Semper Fi young Marine. May the God of heaven give you peace. Time to drop your pack.

[First_Salute]

May God protect him and his.

[SENTINEL]

He's not gone, only reassigned to the legions of heaven, and he'll be back on that fateful day that Christ leads them onto the final battlefield to rid the world of Islam, once and for all.

Semper Fidelis

[joesnuffy]

Not Nice..the thread is to honor this fallen Marine and tell his story
Not to use him and his story to bash someone else in an unfair manner..
God grant this Marine your favor and bless his family both adoptive and blood.

[Im Your Huckleberry]

And another reason I hope our guys kill as many of these barbarians in filthy nightshirts as possible.

I give a crap how many "prisoners" we take. I'm waiting to see how many scalps our guys take...that's all that interests me.

I'm to the point, now, where I think we need to get medieval on their collective asses...

Time to make the enemy, and the world, fear us IMNSHO.

[skeeter]

Touching article. God bless this marine.

Hopefully the LA Times will profile some of the other heros killed in the recent fighting as well.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Here is another thread to memorialize all the brave military heroes killed in this war.

Names of OIF Fallen Heroes. Everlasting Thanks for Noble Sacrifice and Comfort to Their Families.

[BossLady]

May God watch over his family in their time of need. May this fine marine and American rest in peace....

[pfflier]

I never met him, but I will miss him deeply. Semper Fi.

[Velveeta]

I was welled up with tears reading the articles and posts about this brave young man. I got to your post and broke down.

God Bless this brave young soul.