Decades after Raul Guerra’s death in the Vietnam war, Ruben Valencia began a 12-year battle to give his best friend's remains a final resting place.
Ruben and Emily Valencia visit the grave site where Raul Guerra, Valencia's best friend, was buried at Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier on April 25. They would grow up and live minutes from one another, be best men in each other’s weddings, godfathers to each other’s children. They would sit side by side at DodgerThe friends never imagined that after high school both would be sent to Vietnam — but only one would return.
From that day on, the boys were inseparable. They were two sons being raised by two single mothers on the border of East L.A. and Montebello. Once, in junior high school, a bully challenged Raul to meet him after school and the friends had to think fast. “He’s got two brothers,” Raul said with concern. “Well you’ve got me,” Ruben told him.
Raul was miles away aboard a ship; a military journalist waiting for his next big story. When he heard a radar airplane was headed toward Monkey Mountain, he joined the mission. Jose Salomon, left, and Ruben Valencia, right, hold hands during a during a memorial service for Raul Guerra. The tragedy felt like a final blow — after the war, after the post-traumatic stress he suffered from killing and watching fellow Marines get killed.
“You’d think that since he joined the service, we’d find some kind of paperwork, but we couldn’t,” said Robert Mavis, lead analyst on the case with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, whose duty is to recover missing military members. Gena Valencia sits with her father Ruben Valencia while watching a video that honors best friend Raul Guerra. Left, Gena Valencia sits with her father Ruben Valencia while watching a video that honors best friend Raul Guerra. Right, Valencia and Guerra had been best friends since the fifth grade.
He was certain this would clear the way with Mavis. But some time later he was told that Raul wasn’t coming home.Pastor Joe Enriquez. left, became a strong spiritual presence for Ruben Valencia, whose best friend died serving in Vietnam in 1967.That year, the government took the case to top genealogy experts in Utah. Using the latest technology, researchers atThey traced Raul’s birth to a place outside the United States — 200 miles south in Ensenada, Mexico.
U.S. Navy sailors salute Raul Guerra's casket as it arrives at Los Angeles International Airport on April 23.Senator Bob Archuleta , a veteran with vast connections, heard about Ruben’s story and wanted to help. He called Hawaii and reached an agreement with officials: At the third house, an older woman wearing a mumu told Ruben she remembered visiting a relative named Margaret in Mexico once as a child and seeing a little boy there, maybe 2, 3 years old.That afternoon Ruben finally got what he had fought so hard for: All three relatives had stood aside and he now had a green light to bring his friend home.
He’ll never know. Headed home that Sunday with that familiar sting of rejection, he felt close to his friend. Closer than ever.On a recent morning, the father of two settled into a chair in his dining room. He smiled and looked at ease.
Österreich Neuesten Nachrichten, Österreich Schlagzeilen
Similar News:Sie können auch ähnliche Nachrichten wie diese lesen, die wir aus anderen Nachrichtenquellen gesammelt haben.
'Game of Thrones' recap: The Battle of Winterfell brings epic war, several deathsSunday night's episode of 'Game of Thrones,' was really about the great Battle of Winterfell between the Army of the Dead and Daenerys Targaryen's great army.
Weiterlesen »
How much did it cost to bring the Battle of Winterfell to the screen?The battle we have waited for, but how much did it cost?
Weiterlesen »
Which 'High School Musical' Character Is Your Best Friend?Answer These Questions About 'High School Musical' And We'll Tell You Which Character Is Your Bestie
Weiterlesen »
The 10 best cities for first-time home buyersPersonal finance site SmartAsset crunched the data to create a list of the best big cities for first-time home buyers. These cities offer more affordable homes, numerous mortgage lenders and thriving real estate markets.
Weiterlesen »
15 Things You Need If Finals *Week* Is Making You Feel Finals *Weak*15 Things That'll Help Get You Through Your Finals
Weiterlesen »
New Wave Of Millennial Home Buyers Sets The Stage For Tighter Starter-Home MarketThe coming wave of home buyers faces a future starter-home market with now-familiar dynamics: relatively high demand and low supply.
Weiterlesen »
Analysis | Winterfell wasn’t the best ‘Game of Thrones’ battle. Here are our rankings.Analysis: Winterfell wasn’t the best 'Game of Thrones' battle. Here are our rankings.
Weiterlesen »