Video of ABC7 TV news report: http://ww2.abc7.com/global/video/popup/pop_index.asp?ClipID1=294727&h1=Double%20Tragedy%20for%20a%20Southland%20Family&vt1=v&at1=News&d1=126700&activePane=info&playerVersion=1&rnd=19195800

Double Tragedy for a Southland Family

SANTA CLARITA — Tragedy strikes twice for a Santa Clarita soldier's family. Army Private First Class Jose Flores was killed in Iraq living behind a newborn son who will never see or know his father.
This tragedy that began in the war in Iraq, got even worse as mourners traveled to Santa Clarita to join the family.

Ricardo was raised in Santa Clarita and that is where his family still lives. This family has more to mourn than just his death alone.

Twenty-one-year-old Ricardo Flores died in Mosul when he was killed in action earlier this week. He never got to hold his new baby Angel. Ricardo's wife is also in the military dealing with being a new mother and a widow.

When Ricardo died, his grandparents, who live in Mexico, were headed to Santa Clarita when tragedy again struck this family.

Luis Flores, Ricardo's uncle, told ABC7 Eyewitness News about the latest tragedy. He said, "On the way to the airport they were rear-ended by a truck and the van they were traveling in was basically compressed. The grandmother ended up dying in the accident. So it is a double tragedy. "

ABC7 Eyewitness News talked to a spokesperson for the company that he worked for. He told us, "We initially heard that Ricardo had fallen and we were obviously very saddened. We then learned that he had a son just eight days prior to his death. We do understand that he did get to see a picture on the Internet in Iraq of his son, but obviously he never got to hold his son and never will. We are going to ensure that this young man (the baby) will have a life and have money for college or whatever he needs may be."

Five members of Ricardo's family work for Blue Barrel, a division of Waste Management Company, the 16-member team has unofficially adopted this baby. They say he may have lost his father to the war, but in another way he has gained 16 fathers. They are starting a fund and calling it the Angel fund.

MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO:
DAVE HALL IN TRUST FOR GABRIEL FLORES
MAIL TO: BLUE BARREL DISPOSAL
25772 SPRINGBROOK ROAD
SAUGUS, CA 91350.

OR YOU MAY GO TO ANY BANK OF AMERICA BRANCH TO MAKE A DONATION TO ACCOUNT NUMBER : 2 4 2 7 8 0 6 4 1 3 -

A Double Tragedy

Family grieves as soldier, grandmother die same week

By Susan Abram
Staff Writer


Friday, November 19, 2004 - SANTA CLARITA -- The grandmother of a local soldier killed in Iraq earlier this week died in a car crash as she traveled from Mexico to attend his funeral.

Eva Mejia, the maternal grandmother of 21-year-old Army Pfc. Jose Ricardo Flores, was traveling by van with her husband and Flores' paternal grandparents near Guanajuato, on their way to the airport.

The Ford Aerostar was rear-ended by a commercial truck and the vehicle they were traveling in was crushed, according to family members.

"My grandparents were supposed to be here at 4 a.m. Thursday from Mexico," said Flores' younger sister, Rosio Flores. "They were on their way to the airport. My uncle was driving and on their way they got hit from behind. My grandmother, my mom's mom, got killed. I don't know if it was instantly."

Her maternal grandfather may have suffered from internal bleeding and has been hospitalized, she said.

"My other grandmother, from my father's side, has one leg broken, my uncle was really bruised up, and my other grandfather, sitting in the very front, nothing much happened to him."

The Flores family had already been grieving for Jose Ricardo Flores, known at church and at Hart High School, which he graduated from in 2001, as Ricky.

He died on Tuesday when an explosive hit his convoy in Mosul, Iraq, leaving behind his parents, two sisters, a wife, and a newborn son named Gabriel.

Rosio Flores said relatives and friends had been visiting their home all day, desperate to help and pray for the family who has suffered, it seems, at every turn.

Ricky Flores' immediate relatives, his mom and dad and two other sisters, are in disbelief, Rosio Flores said.

"It's almost too much to believe," she said. "We're in shock still. The worst hasn't begun."

Friends meanwhile, continued on Friday to remember Ricky as an artist, a musician and an active youth group leader for Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church. He was the boy with the fade haircut who grew up in Newhall and opened his heart through the arts.

"Everything he drew and wrote about, his poetry, was based on how he felt at the time," said school friend Maria Medrano. "It was shocking to us that he was going to join the Army. We thought he might become a graphic designer."

And then, news of his grandmother's death began to spread.

Blue Barrel employees were in the process of setting up a trust fund for Ricky's son when they heard about Eva Mejia. Five of Ricky Flores' family members work for Blue Barrel, a division of Waste Management Co., spokesman Chris Fall said. Two of the family members, Flores' uncles Saul Mejia and Hector Carrillo, were the sons of Eva Mejia.

"Ricardo is the nephew of four Blue Barrel drivers and the cousin of a mechanic," Fall said.

Fall said the uncles corresponded with Flores through e-mail and even received a photograph of his newborn baby boy, who was about 10 days old when Flores died.

"We're all really feeling this family's pain," Fall said. "It's been pretty sad over at our company. I guess the one thing we have going for us is we have a lot of comrades within our company and everyone is trying to reach out. We want to make sure this child is taken care of and make sure he has all the advantages Ricardo was trying to provide for him."

Fall said anyone wishing to learn more about the trust fund can contact him at (661) 259-0592, or through e-mail at cfall@wm.com.

Funeral arrangements and a memorial service are still pending.

Susan Abram, (661) 257-5257 susan.abram@dailynews.com

Haulers Chip in for Fallen Soldier's Family

11/20/2004
Judy O'Rourke [Signal Staff Writer]

A Santa Clarita family mourning the loss of a 21-year-old who died on an Iraqi battlefield suffered another loss when a beloved grandmother traveling to be with the family was killed in a car crash.

Blue Barrel Disposal, which employs five members of the family, has rallied around Jose Ricardo Flores-Mejia’s family, establishing a trust fund for the soldier’s 10-day-old son. Interest in the fund snowballed Friday.

“When this young baby lost his dad, he gained 60 dads,” said Dave Hall, route manager for the company. “There wasn’t a doubt in anybody’s mind to do this.”

Twenty-one-year-old Flores-Mejia was killed in Iraq on Tuesday when an explosive device hit his convoy, according to an Army report.

His grandmother, Eva Carrillo, died from injuries suffered in a collision Thursday in Mexico. She and her husband were en route to California to attend Flores-Mejia’s funeral. Her husband remains hospitalized in stable condition.

Flores-Mejia was the nephew of four Blue Barrel drivers and the cousin of one of the firm’s mechanics. Eva was the mother of two drivers, Saul Mejia and Hector Carrillo.

Hall consoled Mejia and Carrillo after they learned of their mother’s death.

Antonio Carrillo is an uncle of the soldier by marriage; Luis Flores’ brother is the soldier’s father.

Blue Barrel officials drew a tight circle around their grieving employees.

“You spend more of your waking time with the people you work with, you become friends, comrades, you become family,” said Chris Fall, the company’s public sector services manager. “Our local district has taken a loss of part of our family and we’re all feeling it.”

Fall said the four employees have a combined 60 years of service to the company.

By Thursday evening, every Blue Barrel driver had volunteered to donate $50 from Friday’s paycheck toward the family’s travel and burial expenses, Hall said.

Friday evening, Hall learned that drivers from the other trash haulers in the Santa Clarita Valley — Burrtec Waste Industries and Consolidated Disposal Service — were lining up to contribute to the trust fund. A collection is being taken up at the Chiquita Canyon Landfill, owned by Consolidated.

“When we learned of the original loss of Ricardo, we felt sorrow for the family,” Hall said. “When we learned about the (10-day-old) baby boy, everyone was saying ‘What can we do?’”

“Thursday morning, it was unanimously decided we were going to unofficially adopt the child, make him our own,” he said. “To make sure he has what he needs to grow up in his life. And to ensure the honor of Ricardo’s sacrifice does not go unnoticed.”

Half an hour later, they learned of Eva Carrillo’s death.

The deceased soldier had caught a glimpse of his child via a photo relayed over the Internet. Mejia-Flores’ wife, who is also in the service, is stationed in Honolulu.

Blue Barrel is a residential waste hauler for the majority of residents in the city. Its parent company, Waste Management, will match its employee’s contributions to the trust fund, Hall said.

Donations may be made to the trust fund at any Bank of America location in cash or check payable to Dave Hall in the trust for Gabriel Flores, account number 2427806413. Donations are also being collected at Blue Barrel’s offices at 25772 Springbrook Road in Saugus. For further information, call Dave Hall at 753-5266.

Services Held for Soldier Killed in Iraq

11/25/2004
Signal Staff

By Tracey La Monica
Signal Staff Writer

A chill filled the church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help on Wednesday as family and friends paid their last respects to Jose “Ricky” Flores-Mejia.

“Ricky was a gentle and humble man,” Monsignor Paul M. Montoya told the hundreds of people gathered inside the church.

Sunshine streaming through stained-glass windows cast blotches of color upon the mourners as the Mass was celebrated in English and Spanish. Flores-Mejia’s family has ties to the community and are members of the church, and he was heavily involved in the Newhall church, including singing in the choir.

“What words can give support to a mother, wife, father ... there are none,” Montoya said as he spoke directly to Flores-Mejia’s family.

“No parent wants to send their children off to war. We trust they will reach ripe old age,” he said. “He has given his life’s blood for the sake of us, his family, his community, his country.”

As the Mass continued, mourners could be heard sniffling and crying throughout the service.

The assembled people were invited to take Holy Communion and Flores-Mejia’s sister, Rosie Flores, read from the Bible in Spanish, her voice cracking.

“They are a great family,” said Maria Elena Arias, a friend of the family. “Ricky was always involved in the church and the choir.”

After Mass, the funeral procession made its way to Eternal Valley Memorial Park in Newhall. As the mourners arrived at the graveside, they were given yellow and white balloons to be released.

“You are deeply missed,” said Army Gen. Combs. “Ricky Mejia was a great soldier and fearless. He never shied away from discipline, commitment.”

Flores-Mejia was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart. The Purple Heart is awarded to members of the armed forces who are wounded during combat. The Bronze Star is given for either combat heroism or meritorious service.

He was also awarded the Army Good Conduct Medal for exemplary behavior, efficiency and fidelity in active federal military service.

A Purple Heart, Bronze Star and folded American flag were given to both Flores-Mejia’s mother and his wife.

Flores-Mejia’s widow began to cry as she was handed the folded American flag.

Friends and family members stood together as mourners approached the family and gave their final goodbyes to Flores-Mejia. Some mourners had specially made T-shirts with the words “In Loving Memory of Ricky” written on them.

The yellow and white balloons were released into the air as taps was played by a lone bugle.

“He always had a smile on his face,” said Flores-Mejia’s friend, Rodrigo Ceja, who had tears in his eyes. “He was the nicest person you could know.”

“I spent two years of my life seeing him,” said Elizabeth Valdez, who took communion classes with Flores-Mejia’s mother.

“He was pretty quiet but he had a great smile,” she said.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger issued a statement regarding Flores-Mejia: “Maria and I value the legacy of service Ricardo has left our country. His sacrifice serves as an example to all Americans. We extend our thoughts and condolences to his friends and his family.”