Sons and Daughters of the Valley,
Sacrifice of Honor

Like many places in the United States, the Valley has felt the loss of the war in Iraq. These men and women, who called the Valley home, sacrificed their lives for the freedom we relish.

Fallen soldier comes home

Body of Army Spc. Eric Domingo Salinas returns to childhood hometown

By CLARISSA MARTINEZ/VALLEY MORNING STAR

HARLINGEN — The body of Army Spc. Eric Domingo Salinas, killed in Iraq last week, is expected to be returned here early today. Family members planned to accompany Salinas’ body from Houston as he made a last trip to his childhood... Full story

Harlingen native dies in Iraq

Roadside bomb kills 26-year-old soldier with ties to Valley

By ED ASHER/VALLEY MORNING STAR

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... Full story

Lingering questions: Father still wonders why Army withheld truth about son’s death*

By FERNANDO DEL VALLE/VALLEY MORNING STAR

MERCEDES — After nearly three years, Ernest Galvan said he still wants to know why the U.S. Army withheld findings that show a helicopter pilot’s misconduct led to his son’s death in Afghanistan. For four months, the Army told him... Full story

Soldier Comes Home

Family, friends say Campos was a beloved family man

By SARA PERKINS/The Monitor

McALLEN — There were two sides to Juan Campos. The reserved, gentle man was serious and honorable, a “mama’s boy,” always playing by the rules and making sure he did the right thing. But the Juan Campos his family and close... Full story

Soldier killed in copter crash: Mercedes native is the first in Valley to die in Afghanistan

By FERNANDO DEL VALLE/VALLEY MORNING STAR

SAN JUAN-- As a boy in Mercedes, Daniel Galvan dreamed of flying Army aircraft. Thursday, the Army sergeant was on a Black Hawk helicopter when it crashed in Afghanistan two days after his 30th birthday. "As a young child, he would draw... Full story

Army Pfc. Darrell Shipp

By Lynn Brezosky

HARLINGEN — Two Army soldiers from the Rio Grande Valley have been killed this week in Iraq, military officials and the soldiers’ families said. Staff Sgt. Hector Leija, 27, died Wednesday in Baghdad of wounds suffered during combat,... Full story

Army Staff Sgt. Hector Leija

By Lynn Brezosky

HARLINGEN — Two Army soldiers from the Rio Grande Valley have been killed this week in Iraq, military officials and the soldiers’ families said. Staff Sgt. Hector Leija, 27, died Wednesday in Baghdad of wounds suffered during combat,... Full story

Army Spc. Isaac E. Diaz

- Associated Press

Rio Hondo — Representatives from the Army, Marine Corps and several veterans’ groups saluted family members and others gathered to honor a South Texas soldier who died when the military vehicle he was riding in overturned in Afghanistan.... Full story

Marine Pfc. Juan G. Garza

SAN BENITO, Texas — The family of California-based Marine Pfc. Juan G. Garza was informed April 8 that he was killed in Iraq that same day. Garza was killed by a sniper as he patrolled an airport in Baghdad. He was sent overseas on Dec. 27.... Full story

Army Pvt. Rey D. Cuervo

— Associated Press

LAGUNA VISTA, Texas — Pvt. Rey D. Cuervo always knew he wanted to be a soldier and he warned his family of the risks he faced as he went off to war in Iraq, his mother remembered. Cuervo, 24, of Laguna Vista, was killed Sunday in Baghdad when... Full story

'Slice Of Life' Archives