Harlingen native dies in Iraq

HARLINGEN — A soldier who was born in Harlingen and raised in Primera has been killed in Iraq by a roadside bomb, his aunt said Sunday.

Army Spc. Eric Domingo Salinas, 26, was killed Thursday while on patrol in Baghdad, his aunt, Gracie DeLeon, said in a telephone interview from Houston.

“We don’t know the details. They triggered an underground bomb … an IED,” she said, referring to an improvised explosive device.

She said Salinas was born in Harlingen and attended Wilson Elementary School. He moved to Houston with his mother when he was 9 years old, she said.

He was scheduled to return home from his tour of duty in September, three days before his birthday, his aunt said.

He leaves behind a 4-year-old son, DeLeon said.

The Department of Defense confirmed his death in a news release late Sunday.

The statement said Salinas and two other soldiers died in Baghdad Thursday when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle.

It lists Salinas’ age as 25, but DeLeon said he was 26.

Also killed were Staff Sgt. Fernando Santos, 29, of San Antonio and Spc. Cristian Rojas-Gallego, 24, of Loganville, Ga., the statement said.

The three were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Washington.

“He wanted to fight for our country,” DeLeon said.

“He wanted to see the world, see different people and different cultures. It was something he always wanted to do.”

He loved sports, particularly soccer and basketball, and he liked to dance.

“He was the clown of the family. He was always making everybody laugh. He was always coming out with silly things to do to entertain us,” she said.

“He was a great person.”

His grandmother and other relatives still live in the Valley, she said.

She said the family expects his body to be returned to Houston. The family is planning funeral services at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Harlingen and burial at Restlawn Memorial Park in La Feria.

Funeral arrangements are being handled by Rudy Garza Funeral Homes, she said.

A family counselor at Rudy Garza in La Feria said Sunday that they expect to receive the body in about two weeks.

Salinas is the second soldier from the Harlingen area to be killed in Iraq.

Army Spc. Darrell Wayne Shipp, of Harlingen, was killed in Baghdad on Jan. 25.

Shipp is memorialized by a plaque at the Harlingen Public Library, which was dedicated by city officials last month.

Army Staff Sgt. Hector Leija, of Raymondville, was killed in Baghdad on Jan. 24.