FATHER, SON AT REST ARMY SOLDIER KILLED WHILE STATIONED IN IRAQ.

Byline: JUDY O'ROURKE

Staff Writer

GRANADA HILLS -- The young soldier was an infant when his father died serving his country nearly two decades ago. Army Guardsman Dennis Sellen Jr., just 20 and stationed in Iraq, has now gone to meet him.

Sellen, who lived in Newhall, died Feb. 11 of noncombat-related injuries in Umm Qasr, where he was due to remain until September. The incident is being investigated and the details have not been released, authorities said.

In the days before his funeral, Sellen's family recalled his charisma and passion for life. Dennis Sr. and Jr. may never have shaken hands, but the son sang, walked and clowned just like his dad.

"Friends loved them; they're the same," said Silvia Sellen Jara, Sellen's mother, during an interview Monday in her Granada Hills home. "Every time I'm thinking about that -- how amazing and good is God -- my son is exactly like my husband even though he didn't know him."

Sellen's father served in the Air National Guard, based in Van Nuys. On active duty in Panama in 1987 he was debilitated by a circulatory disease, and died a year later.

Sellen's uncle, his father's older brother, became a surrogate dad. His own four sons enlisted in the Army; two are still serving. Retired Army Lt. Col. William Sellen exchanged upbeat e-mails with Dennis about once a month during his tour, he said, sometimes talking shop.

The retired officer saw three years of combat in Vietnam and was stationed in Berlin during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Uncle Bill had the honor of draping the blue infantry cord on the shoulder of Dennis's uniform after Dennis finished basic training in Georgia.

"That was a big deal for me to do that," William Sellen said.

A month later when Dennis graduated from paratrooper training, his uncle drove four hours from his home in the Florida panhandle to pin on his paratrooper wings.

Dennis will posthumously be awarded a Bronze Star medal, which he was hoping to earn but usually is awarded only for combat duty, Sellen said.

"That was a huge indicator they held him in high regard," said William Sellen, who served 40 years in the military.

Dennis Sellen enlisted in the Alabama National Guard in November 2003, transferring to the California National Guard in March 2006, and was serving his first tour in Iraq.

For years the family lived in Sylmar before moving to Granada Hills, where Sellen performed on John F. Kennedy High School's drill team. Sellen completed his junior and senior years of high school as a member of the corps of cadets in the Marion Military Institute in Marion, Ala., in 2003 and 2004 -- where his cousin David Sellen went before heading to The Citadel.

His uncle recalled Dennis' talents at Marion: he sang beautifully in the chorus and was a dynamite Tiger mascot for the football and basketball teams, where he would breakdance on the smooth gym floor. But his solo turn for the White Knights fancy drill team, where he would feign boredom with the routine, were pure Dennis.

"He would stand with his hands on his hips and grab the rifle out of the hands of teammates," William Sellen said. "He was twirling each rifle with one hand -- like a baton."

Sellen attended College of the Canyons for one semester as a part-time student in spring 2006. He took classes in graphics, media design and computer networking.

He left on June 24 for training in Camp Shelby, Miss. Three months later Sellen left for Iraq. The 1st Battalion, in which Sellen served, provided support for the 16th Military Police Brigade, from Ft. Bragg, North Carolina.

Sellen left behind brother Kevin, 15, a 10th-grader at Kennedy High School in Granada Hills, and sisters Vanessa, 22, Francois, 26, and Farah, 32. When his mother remarried in 2004, Sellen gained five more siblings.

His mother, a singer, wonders if he inherited her talents and those of his late grandmother, Billie Bird Sellen, an entertainer who worked from vaudeville through the 1990s. The actress appeared in dozens of movies including "Dennis the Menace," "Home Alone," "Police Academy 4" and "Sixteen Candles" and was featured in a slew of television shows. During the Vietnam war, she also accompanied 12 USO tours, entertaining the troops.

Silvia's care packages to her son were loaded with Dennis's favorites: Cinnamon Pop Tarts, mango-flavored candy and tamarindo, a concoction made from sweet and sour tamarind pulp. His Dec. 28 letter contained his dry sense of humor and thanks.

"You never sent me anything when I was at Marion," he said. The words were followed by a mock sad face and e-mail shorthand LOL, which means laughing out loud.

The California Army National Guard has said the cause of Sellen's death is being investigated.

"This was a tragedy of war," Silvia Sellen Jara said. "Even though we don't know what really happened, we want people to pray for who is involved."

Sellen's last words to the family were conveyed the day before he died. On the social networking site MySpace he told Kevin to assure Silvia he was fine. He said his girlfriend April was his Valentine, and he asked for a video game -- even offering to foot the bill.

Sellen will be buried Thursday, just 17 feet from his father's grave.

"I know for sure they are together," Silvia said.

The service and burial for Spc. Dennis Sellen will be at 11 a.m. at Forest Lawn Memorial-Park in Glendale, at the Wee Kirk O' the Heather chapel.

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(1 -- 2) Silvia Sellen Jara, of Granada Hills, holds a picture Monday of her son, Army Guardsman Spc. Dennis Sellen, 20, also below. Sellen died Feb. 11 in Umm Qasr, Iraq, of noncombat-related injuries. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 185th Infantry Regiment, in Fresno.

John Lazar/Staff Photographer