Soldier Tribute: Mario Ybarra Jr.

Just like his father before him, Mario Ybarra Jr. has been driven by duty for the last eight months.

U.S. Army Pfc. Mario Ybarra Sr.’s sense of duty led him to the jungles of Vietnam in 1966, where he was killed in combat. It was his son’s sense of duty that drove him to honor the father he never knew by having a local school named after a soldier who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Ybarra Jr. recently claimed victory in his quest after the Weslaco Independent School District Board voted unanimously to name the district’s newest facility Pfc. Mario G. Ybarra Elementary School in honor of his father.

“The way all of it has happened, it’s almost as if destiny had a hand in it,” Ybarra said of the entire process and the board’s decision. “Whether or not my father had something to do with it from up above, I can’t put my finger on it. But I met the right people at the right time, sent out the letters at the right time but it was destined to happen this way.”

According to military records, Ybarra Sr. was killed by insurgent communist forces in the Quang Ngai Province in the Republic of Vietnam on March 5, 1966. For his sacrifice and valor, he was posthumously awarded the National Defense Service Medal and the Purple Heart. His death came just eight days before his infant son’s first birthday.

Ybarra Jr. said he was pleased with the board’s decision to name the new school after his father, a decision that will affect more than just his family.

“It was a decision that will impact the community because it will be there permanently,” he said. “I wasn’t just doing it for myself, I was doing it for the community, the children and the veterans.”

Superintendent Richard Rivera said the board made the right decision.

“We know a lot of veterans have given up their lives or their long-term health,” he said. “It’s proper that the board named the school for Mario Ybarra Sr. It represents so many Vietnam soldiers, many of whom thought they weren’t appreciated when they came back.”

As part of his quest to have the school named after his father, Ybarra constructed a video memorial of his father that was played during a board meeting. The video can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?vV6GMzWGDEpA or by
searching YouTube.com for “The Forgotten Hero — A Vietnam Soldier Tribute.”

Although his quest to honor his father has come to a close, Ybarra cannot deny the impact it has had on his life and said he would continue to serve the school that now bears his father’s name.

“I don’t believe that my journey has ended. Maybe it’s the beginning,” he said. “I’d like to be directly involved with the school and assist in future Memorial Day or Veterans Day presentations or whenever I’m needed. It’s not something I’m going to avoid.”

Submit Slice of Life suggestions to Managing Editor Lucio Castillo or City Editor Charlene Vandini at 430-6244 or charlenev@valleystar.com.