BEREAVED FAMILY PLANS FUNERAL FOR MARINE.Byline: Jason Kandel Staff Writer ARLETA - A birthday card arrived in the mail Monday for 7-year-old Joshua Ayon. The card was filled with heartfelt words from his father - Marine Pfc. Eric Ayon, who had been sent to Iraq on Feb. 18. ``Being your dad is the coolest thing I've ever done in my life,'' the note read. ``You being my son makes me a better man. I'm sorry I'm not there with you today. I love you and I will always be around.'' It was the last note Joshua would receive from his father. Ayon, 26, of Arleta was killed last Friday during a fierce gunbattle in the Al Anbar province in Iraq. He is among 70 Americans killed in Iraq since April 1, the bloodiest 12-day period since the fall of Baghdad The Fall of Baghdad may refer to the following:
Family members on Monday mourned the loss of their loved one. ``I always thought he was going to come back home,'' said his sobbing wife, Angie. ``I just thought he was going to come back home because he was strong and he was a survivor. ``We will all miss him.'' The Herbert Hoover High School There are at least six high schools named after Herbert Hoover, the 31st President of the United States:
any American soldier. [Am. Military Slang: Misc.] See : Soldiering toys as a boy, had always dreamed of becoming a Marine and fighting for his country. Before joining the military last summer, he worked at Mid Valley Continuation Day School in Van Nuys, where he realized his other passion - mentoring troubled teens. As a youth counselor, Ayon steered kids away from drugs and gangs and helped put them on a path to their future careers. ``He loved doing it,'' said Angie, who married her high school sweetheart eight years ago. ``He loved being able to touch a lot of people. He was a wonderful father. He had such big heart. All the kids loved him.'' Angie recalled that Ayon loved eating out with his family and taking his son to Chuck E. Cheese and the Olive Garden  This article or section is written like an .Please help [ rewrite this article] from a neutral point of view. Mark blatant advertising for , using . restaurants. They had tramped around the park at La Brea Tar Pits La Brea Tar Pits Fossil field in Hancock Park (formerly Rancho La Brea), Los Angeles, Calif., U.S. It is the site of “pitch springs” oozing crude oil, formerly used by local Indians for waterproofing, and was explored by Gaspar de Portolá's expedition in and Disneyland before Ayon set off for boot camp Software from Apple that enables an Intel x86-based Macintosh to host the Windows XP operating system. Boot Camp is used to divide the hard disk into Windows and Mac partitions, to install the necessary drivers and to create a dual boot environment. last June. He was stationed at Camp Pendleton and deployed to Iraq in February, the last time relatives saw him. ``He came to the house to say goodbye,'' Angie said. Ayon's sister, Cynthia, said the family is devastated dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. by the loss but realizes that being a Marine had been Eric's dream. ``I'm proud,'' she said. ``He's a real Marine. That was his dream ever since he was small. I'm proud of him. I don't want to cry no more. It was his dream. He did it.'' Ayon's body is being transported back to Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, . The family plans to hold a funeral for him in Glendale, possibly this weekend. In addition to his wife, son and sister Cynthia, Ayon is survived by his father, Enrique; his mother, Maria; and a 15-year-old sister, Jasmine jasmine (jăs`mĭn, jăz–) or jessamine (jĕs`əmĭn), any plant of the genus Jasminum of the family Oleaceae (olive family). , 15. Ayon had sent Cynthia a card for her 23rd birthday on March 28, telling her how much he loved her. ``Thank you for always believing in me,'' he wrote. ``Always know that when things get hard and you don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. what to do, I will always be there for you.'' He signed the note, ``Your big brother, WiWi,'' a nickname Cynthia gave him when they were growing up. ``My brother, he was a big part of my life,'' Cynthia said. ``He wanted to be a hero, and he is a hero.'' Jason Kandel, (818) 713-3664 jason.kandel(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) AYON |
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