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In Memoriam |
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In Memoriam |
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LCpl. Tony Hernandez
LCpl. Mourad Ragimov
Four Marines who died in a helicopter crash that claimed 31 lives in Iraq – the single deadliest incident of the war – were honored yesterday at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station.
More than 500 mourners, most wearing green camouflage fatigues, packed into Airman Memorial Chapel under steady rain for the one-hour memorial.
Large photographs of the four stood on the altar behind four M-16 rifles, each with a pilot's helmet resting on top. Four folded uniforms and pairs of boots were placed on the floor.
Although the men were stationed in San Diego, all were born or raised in Texas and never forgot their roots, friends said.
"He carried the Texas flag everywhere he went," Jenni Garavaglia said of Lance Cpl. Tony L. Hernandez, 22, a native of New Braunfels, Texas. "Tony really, really loved Texas. . . . God bless Tony and God bless Texas."
The men – along with Lance Cpl. Mourad Ragimov of Carmel Valley, a Navy medic and 25 Marines based in Hawaii – were killed when their transport helicopter crashed in the early-morning darkness Jan. 26 during a fierce sandstorm near the Syrian border.
The cause of the crash is under investigation, said Lt. Victoria Jennings, a Miramar spokeswoman.
The Marines were providing security ahead of Iraq's Jan. 30 elections, Lt. J.R. Logan said. They were deployed overseas in August with Heavy Marine Helicopter Squadron 361, Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing at Miramar.
Capt. Paul Christopher Alaniz, 32, was remembered as a sure-footed man and an avid reader who knew he was the best-dressed person in any room.
Alaniz was born in Greeley, Colo., but grew up in the Texas Panhandle town of Dumas and graduated from Texas Tech University.
"He was a very solid young man," said retired Marine Sgt. Maj. Everett Ibarra, a friend. "You could tell that right from the start. He had a confidence about him."
Ibarra read a letter written by Marine Capt. Dan Feliciano, a friend of Alaniz's who is deployed in Afghanistan.
"Swagger is the best word I can choose to describe him," Feliciano wrote. "Everyone who knew him and loved him knows exactly what I'm talking about."
After the ceremony, Alaniz's wife, Thelma, said her husband loved flying and reading. She received an e-mail message from him five days before his death in which he said the war improved his self-worth.
"He loved what he was doing; he believed in what he was doing," she said. "He knew there was a purpose behind it all."
Staff Sgt. Dexter S. Kimble, 20, died doing what he loved – being a Marine, Master Sgt. Daniel Villanueva said.
The Houston native "may have been a bit headstrong, but I always admired that he held true to his beliefs," Villanueva said.
Capt. Lyle L. Gordon, 30, loved his Ford F-350 pickup and pressed Wrangler jeans, fellow Marine Capt. Paul Lee said.
Gordon was raised in Midlothian, about 30 miles southwest of Dallas.
"Lyle stayed true to himself," Lee said. "He was always comfortable just the way he was. He didn't feel the need to change."
Gordon's father, Dickey, said his son decided to join the military after watching the movie "Top Gun." He left Texas for the Marine Corps, but never gave up his boots and truck.
"He never considered himself above anyone – anyone," said his mother, Mary Gordon. "He was just down to earth, and he was always smiling."