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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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