SOLDIER'S RELATIVES, COMRADES BURY A HERO.Byline: BRENT HOPKINS Staff Writer NORTH HOLLYWOOD -- In life, Sgt. Giann Carlo Joya-Mendoza was a family man, peacemaker and dedicated soldier. In death, he became a hero. His friends and family recalled him as a disciplined, rigorous man, meticulous in his personal habits and military service. Born on the Fourth of July Fourth of July, Independence Day, or July Fourth, U.S. holiday, commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Celebration of it began during the American Revolution. in Honduras, he dreamed of making a career of the U.S. Army, enlisting at 20 and returning to war after his first stint was up. A roadside bomb killed him as he patrolled South Baghdad on June 28; he was 27. He was buried Saturday with full military honors, posthumously given the medals and citizenship of a grateful nation. "Giann Carlo decided that he would give up his life for something he believed in very strongly," said the Rev. Bob Garon, who eulogized Joya-Mendoza at a Catholic Mass on Friday. "He could have done anything else, but he chose to give his life for his country." Soldiers in dress greens and family members in black filled the front of St. Charles Borromeo For the Indian sprinter, see . Saint Charles Borromeo (Italian: Carlo Borromeo; Latinized as Carolus Borromeus) (October 2, 1538 – November 3, 1584) was an Italian saint and cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. Catholic Church in North Hollywood for the service. A man dressed in camouflage-print shorts slipped in to sit at the back of the church. He'd come to say a prayer for his daughter, serving as a Marine in Iraq, and his son, a Navy Seal. As he saw the rows of uniformed soldiers and heard Garon's homily homily (hŏm`əlē), type of oral religious instruction delivered to a church congregation. In the patristic period through the Middle Ages the focus of the homily was on the explanation and application of texts read or sung during the , he felt a connection. "I didn't even know the soldier, but in my heart, I was crying," said the Valley Village resident, who asked to remain anonymous. "It was like he was part of my family." While a soloist sang "America the Beautiful America the Beautiful patriotic song by Katherine Bates glorifying national ideals (1893). [Am. Music: Scholes, 30] See : Song, Patriotic ," the honor guard wheeled the coffin to the street as Maria Ines Mendoza, the soldier's mother, walked alongside. A young woman sobbed loudly in her pew, crying alone for the deceased. Later Friday, at a visitation at Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Park, Sgt. Danny Winkler Winkler may refer to:
He'd escorted Joya-Mendoza's body home. Now, he slipped on his black beret The black beret is the headgear worn by the British Army's Royal Tank Regiment (RTR), The Canadian Armed Forces's Royal Canadian Armoured Corps (RCAC), and Canadian Forces Maritime Command (Canadian Navy), The Australian Army's Royal Australian Armoured Corps (RAAC) and by all the and reflected on his dead comrade as he walked away. "He was one of those guys who you say 'What's up?' to when you saw him around," Winkler said. "But it doesn't really matter if I knew him well or not. We're all infantry and everyone in infantry is a brother." For Winkler and the others touched by his story, Joya-Mendoza became a symbol of something greater. Councilwoman Wendy Greuel Wendy Greuel is President Pro Tempore of the Los Angeles City Council representing the 2nd District. Greuel was elected in 2002 to fill the remainder of the term of Councilman Joel Wachs. She was elected in her own right in 2003 and reelected in 2007. adjourned the Los Angeles City Council  The Los Angeles City Council is the governing body of the City of Los Angeles, California, United States. in his honor on Tuesday;
Assemblyman Paul Krekorian Paul Krekorian was elected in 2006 to serve California's 43rd Assembly District, which includes the cities of Glendale and Burbank and the Los Feliz, Silver Lake, North Hollywood, Valley Glen, Toluca Lake, Atwater Village and Valley Village communities of Los Angeles. , D-Glendale, plans to do the same with the
Assembly on Monday; and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered flags flown
at half-staff in tribute.
The Pentagon dispatched Maj. Gen. Paul Izzo to personally present Joya-Mendoza's parents with the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Iraqi Campaign Medal and Global War on Terror This article is about U.S. actions, and those of other states, after September 11, 2001. For other conflicts, see Terrorism. The War on Terror (also known as the War on Terrorism Medal on Saturday. A representative from the Department of Homeland Security Noun 1. Department of Homeland Security - the federal department that administers all matters relating to homeland security Homeland Security executive department - a federal department in the executive branch of the government of the United States then delivered a proclamation that their son had been made a citizen of the country he died defending. "I told him it was dangerous, but he wanted to be a soldier," said his father, Juan Anibal Joya-Mendoza. "He was very disciplined, so it was good for him. As a father, I respected his decision." As the funeral closed, workers lowered the silver casket into the ground. Mendoza, wearing the Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team The brigade combat team (BCT) is the basic deployable unit of maneuver in the US Army. A brigade combat team consists of one combat arms branched maneuver brigade, and its attached support and fire units. , 2nd Infantry Division's insignia pinned to her black blouse, approached the grave with a ceremonial trowel filled with dirt. She hesitated and cried, then let the dirt fall into the Earth. Her son's fellow soldiers snapped to attention and offered crisp salutes. Staff Writer Patrick St. Michel contributed to this report. brent.hopkins(at)dailynews.com (818) 713-3738 CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Karla Mendoza, aunt of Sgt. Giann Carlo Joya-Mendoza, carries a photo of the fallen soldier during services at Valhalla Memorial Park in North Hollywood on Saturday afternoon. Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion