Mourners pay respects to Spc. Santos

By Robert Rogers, Staff Writer
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

As kids, they forged a bond on church retreats and dreamed and chatted about the future. He was steady, confident. She bright and whimsical.

Come adulthood, Lizzie Saldana opted for college and supported her close friend Luis Daniel Santos' decision to join the Army.

"We still kept in touch," said Saldana, 20, squinting across the cemetery's rolling, grassy hills. "We filled each other in on how our lives were going."

Saldana is in her second year at UC Santa Cruz, and Santos will forever be a 20-year-old war hero.

Saldana and more than 100 family members, friends and supporters paid tribute to Spc. Luis D. Santos on Monday. Services were held at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in Rialto then proceeded in a police-escorted motorcade to Riverside National Cemetery, where Santos was laid to rest.

The Fontana High graduate was killed in Buhriz, Iraq, June 8 after an improvised explosive device went off near the Humvee he was riding in. Santos served as a cavalry scout in the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, part of the Army's 4th Infantry Division out of Fort Carson, Colo.

Childhood friends and Army comrades described Santos' toughness, big heart and tender empathy.

Ray Corona, who took "Danny" under his wing and taught him boxing when the fallen soldier was a wispy teen, told the crowd at St. Catherine's an anecdote to describe the "tough kid with a big heart."

"I can remember he busted a kid up with a great combination and stopped to apologize in the middle of the fight," Corona recalled.

Father Arturo Gomez, himself an Army veteran, led the ceremony, reciting excerpts from John 12 in English and Spanish.

Childhood friend Jerry Vasquez told mourners the death of his boxing buddy had him gripped in profound indecision.

"He was proud of what he was doing," Vasquez, 19, said. "I wonder what I should do with my life knowing he died for my freedom."

Later, as people filed by Santos' coffin to receive communion, Vasquez stood with his head bowed, a pair of his friend's old yellow boxing gloves dangling by the laces draped around his neck.

Vasquez asked friends and family to sign the gloves before he presented them to Santos' mother, Irma Santos, of Rialto.

The procession filed out of St. Catherine's and became a caravan to Riverside National Cemetery with police and California Highway Patrol escorts. About 30 members of the Patriot Guard Riders, a nationwide amalgamation of troop supporters who attend funeral services of fallen soldiers, also made the trip.

The Riders, most in heavily-patched denim motorcycle garb, remained outside St. Catherine's during the service and provided their customary two lines of members creating a tunnel of American flags as Santos' coffin was carried from the hearse to a wooden gazebo at the cemetery.

Father Gomez, who made the trip to the cemetery, expressed dismay over the lack of turnout by local leaders.

"I fear people may be getting too used to people dying young," Gomez said.

A representative of Congressman Joe Baca, D-Rialto, Joe Rodriguez, attended funeral Mass at St. Catherine's.

Mourners huddled shoulder-to-shoulder under the small cemetery gazebo as Army officers tightly folded the American flag that had draped Santos' silver coffin before presenting it to his mother. Santos' family also received the soldier's posthumously-awarded decorations, including the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Global War on Terror Expeditionary Medal.

Seven soldiers blasted three volleys of rifle fire, and a flock of doves was released, the lead dove representing Santos' journey into afterlife.

A 2004 graduate of Fontana High School, Santos was on the track-and-field team and was engaged to be married to his high school sweetheart. He joined the Army straight out of high school and was deployed to Iraq last November. He was slated to come home on a two-week leave in late June.

Santos was killed in a combat mission in Buhriz, a town about 40 miles northeast of Baghdad. Staff Sgt. Evis Gonzalez, 24, who served with Santos and is on leave with a knee injury he suffered in Iraq, called the zone a "very busy area."

Everyone who knew Santos, civilian or military, spoke to his leadership instincts. People looked up to him at Fontana High, said Diego Rizo, 17, who said Santos was his role model on the track-and-field team.

"I'm in total disbelief still," Rizo said, crying. "He was like my hero. Heroes don't die."

Copyright © 2006 Los Angeles Newspaper Group

Funeral services for Army Specialist Luis Santos - June 19, 2006
A member of the Patriot Guard Riders from the California chapter, holds a flag as the casket of U.S. Army Corporal Luis Daniel Santos is unloaded and taken into St. Catherine's Catholic Church in Rialto on Monday.
Brett K. Snow/Staff Photographer

Funeral services for Army Specialist Luis Santos - June 19, 2006
Members of the U.S. Army stand over the casket of U.S. Army Corporal Luis Daniel Santos before his memorial service.
Brett K. Snow/Staff Photographer

Funeral services for Army Specialist Luis Santos - June 19, 2006
Former boxing coach Ramon Corona, left, and childhood friend Jerry Vasquez talk about their experiences with Luis Daniel Santos at his memorial service.
Brett K. Snow/Staff Photographer

Funeral services for Army Specialist Luis Santos - June 19, 2006
Statues stand over U.S. Army Captain John Hintz, the Company Commander of U.S. Army Corporal Luis Daniel Santos as he says a few words about his time leading Santos in IraqSantos.
Brett K. Snow/Staff Photographer

Funeral services for Army Specialist Luis Santos - June 19, 2006
A young boy stands near a fountain of water during the memorial service of U.S. Army Corporal Luis Daniel Santos.
Brett K. Snow/Staff Photographer

Funeral services for Army Specialist Luis Santos - June 19, 2006
A member of the Patriot Guard Riders from the California chapter, far left, and members of the U.S. Army unfold the American flag over the casket of U.S. Army Corporal Luis Daniel Santos.
Brett K. Snow/Staff Photographer

Funeral services for Army Specialist Luis Santos - June 19, 2006
Members of the U.S. Army walk the casket of U.S. Army Corporal Luis Daniel Santos from St. Catherine's Catholic Church in Rialto following a memorial service on Monday.
Brett K. Snow/Staff Photographer

Funeral services for Army Specialist Luis Santos - June 19, 2006
Father Arturo Gomez leads the memorial service over the casket of U.S. Army Corporal Luis Daniel Santos.
Brett K. Snow/Staff Photographer

Funeral services for Army Specialist Luis Santos - June 19, 2006
A young boy stands near the casket of U.S. Army Corporal Luis Daniel Santos.
Brett K. Snow/Staff Photographer

Funeral services for Army Specialist Luis Santos - June 19, 2006
Jerry Wendt, 66, of the Patriot Guard Riders, holds a United States flag in preparation for memorial services for Army Specialist Luis Santos at the Riverside National Cemetery June 19, 2006. Santos, 20, of Rialto, was killed by a roadside bomb while serving in Buritz, Iraq June 8, 2006.
Gabriel Acosta, Staff Photographer

Funeral services for Army Specialist Luis Santos - June 19, 2006
Members of the patriot Guard Riders line a walkway with flag bearers during memorial services for Army Specilaist Luis Santos at the Riverside National Cemetery.
Gabriel Acosta, Staff Photographer

Funeral services for Army Specialist Luis Santos - June 19, 2006
Father Arturo Gomez conducts memorial services for Army Specialist Luis Santos at the Riverside National Cemetery.
Gabriel Acosta, Staff Photographer

Funeral services for Army Specialist Luis Santos - June 19, 2006
Irma Santos, left, recieves a Bronze Star Medal presented to her by U.S. General John Gong during memorial services for her son Army Specilaist Luis Santos.
Gabriel Acosta, Staff Photographer

Funeral services for Army Specialist Luis Santos - June 19, 2006
An Honor Guard plays Taps at the close of memorial services for Army Specilaist Luis Santos at the Riverside National Cemetery.
Gabriel Acosta, Staff Photographer

Funeral services for Army Specialist Luis Santos - June 19, 2006
Irma Santos recieves a flag presented to her by Staff Sergeant Evis Gonzalez during memorial services for her son Army Specialist Luis Santos.
Gabriel Acosta, Staff Photographer

Funeral services for Army Specialist Luis Santos - June 19, 2006
Family members release a dove at the close of memorial services for Army Specialist Luis Santos at the Riverside National Cemetery.
Gabriel Acosta, Staff Photographer

'Toast' was a vibrant young man who loved adventure

By Tom A. Peter, Special to the Daily Bulletin

Spc. Luis Santos had an inside joke with everyone who got to know him.

Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

Editor's Note: About a month after Spc. Luis Santos was killed in Iraq by an improvised explosive device, Tom A. Peter joined his platoon as an embedded journalist. He has spent three months on and off with the unit since then. Spc. Luis Santos had an inside joke with everyone who got to know him.
After he was killed by an improvised explosive device, soldiers throughout Stalker platoon who were telling stories about Luis couldn't help but break into fits of laughter.

The last time Sgt. Jesse Trumpore saw Santos alive, he quoted a line from comic Dave Chapelle. Trumpore laughed out loud. Santos smiled, loaded into a Humvee and died shortly thereafter.

When Santos died, members of Stalker platoon were conducting routine, three-day observation posts in the Naquib area outside Baquba. Few good things happen in Naquib, so the platoon sergeant, Sgt. 1st Class Michael Greer, hoped his platoon might catch the "bad guys" in the act.

A day into the operation, Greer received intelligence that a group of insurgents had planned an attack on a nearby village. Hoping to intercept the attackers, Greer decided to shift locations.

Driving to the new position, Staff Sgt. Nicodemus' Humvee hit the first IED. An orange flash and smoke filled the vehicle. Objects from the trunk warped and blew into the cab.

As the Humvee settled, Nicodemus momentarily lost composure and panicked trying to take stock of the situation and inquire about the safety of his crew. Medic Tom Siqueros moved in to calm him.

Miraculously everyone in Nicodemus' Humvee survived the blast virtually unharmed -- Nicodemus suffered a minor burn on his back. Though the IED completely destroyed the Humvee, it had detonated under the only empty seat.

Once a support convoy arrived to recover the damaged Humvee, the rest of Stalker continued the mission.

The second IED of the night, which was the one that killed Santos, detonated just a few miles down the road from Nicodemus' damaged truck.

The blast rocked the middle of the Stalker convoy, hitting Staff Sgt. Andy Overgard's Humvee. Alone the IED might not have been lethal, but it triggered explosives the soldiers were carrying inside the vehicle. After the blast, the remains of the Humvee lay upside down and flaming.

The blast threw everyone but Overgard from the vehicle. Trapped momentarily in the burning Humvee, he suffered severe burns on his arm and head. His injuries required that he return to the United States for further treatment and recovery.

Badly shaken, Staff Sgt. Eric Moroge initially thought he'd lost his legs, but ultimately he and the driver walked away with minor injuries. The medics feared the worst for Spc. Robbie Mathis, who couldn't feel below his waist, but hospital treatment doctors discovered he'd suffered serious internal bruises. With a week of rest Mathis could return to duty.

Sgt. Joseph Garcia -- a friend and a mentor to Santos -- found the Rialto man face down outside the burning Humvee. He rolled Santos over and saw shrapnel had gone through his face.

He'd died instantly.

There was nothing anyone could do, but treat the wounded and remember their fallen friend and comrade.

Santos, nicknamed "Toast," had a way of making bad situations good.

When Sgt. Joseph Garcia punished him for writing "hungry" instead of "Hunsuck" all over Pfc. Brian Hunsuck's equipment (Hunsuck was Santos' pudgy friend and Humvee crew member), "Toast" spent 10 minutes doing push-ups, sit-ups, squats and lunges.

Throughout the punishment, Santos couldn't stop smiling.

When he tried to tell Pfc. Matt Graham what happened, Santos was laughing so hard it took him several minutes and multiple tries to get the story out.

Iraq and the Army had worn down Santos.

"I just want to get out of the Army and go to college," he said one afternoon on guard duty.

Recently having been promoted from private first class to specialist, he complained the sergeants restricted him from taking a more proactive role around base.

Simple chores -- like taking out trash or cleaning up common areas -- never bothered Santos. It made him feel uncomfortable and lazy when the sergeants forced him to dole out these tasks to privates.

When he joined the Army, he told the recruiter he wanted to be a James Bond-like spy. If he decided not to go to college, he would have tried out for Special Forces.

Santos loved adventure.

Less than a month before the IED, Santos turned 20. Sgt. Jordan Savor, a close friend, remembers a time back in the States when he left Santos alone in the car for nearly 20 minutes while he ran an errand.

As soon as Savor returned, Santos -- who'd clearly been thinking about this for the last 20 minutes -- asked if the president was commander and chief of the entire military, could he just wear whatever uniform he wanted?

Could he wake up one day and put on an Air Force uniform and the next day maybe a Navy uniform?

When Santos got drunk, he spent most of the night apologizing to everyone for being so intoxicated. Speaking at Santos' memorial service, Spc. Tony Chicoine said he was certain that if Santos could see everyone, he'd be apologizing for making everyone feel so sad.

Copyright © 2006 Los Angeles Newspaper Group

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The Devil (George Warmonger Bush): "Sorry to Oil the Flag Draped Coffins, the Lost Limbs and the Iraq Massacures but Oil comes First. Fill her Up ??????"

You always post such moving photos of these events. Thank you.

Had enough? This November, vote Green Party USA. The Party of peace. http://www.gp.org

http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-santos9jul09,0,7923172.story?coll=la-news-obituaries

From the Los Angeles Times
MILITARY DEATHS
Army Cpl. Luis D. Santos, 20, Rialto; Killed by a Roadside Bomb
By Stuart Pfeifer
Times Staff Writer

July 9, 2006

Army Cpl. Luis Daniel Santos was weary after spending several months in Iraq.

"There is so much that could happen to me here. How long must I wait to go home? How long must I wait to get seriously hurt? How long must I wait to marry my girlfriend?" he wrote on his blog at myspace.com.

He got his answer in May: The Army was sending him home to Rialto on June 23 for a two-week vacation. He and his mother planned a party to celebrate his return and the high school graduation of his younger brother, Eric. "Just got to stay alive till next month," Santos wrote after getting the news.

He made it only 11 days.

Santos, 20, was killed June 8 when a roadside bomb exploded near his Humvee during combat in Buhriz, northeast of Baghdad.

He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division at Ft. Carson, Colo.

Santos did not ship out to Iraq with boasts of bravado. He wanted to make his family proud, to protect the people of Iraq, to be a part of history. He also was scared. Before he left Ft. Carson for Iraq, Santos called his brother. It was late and it sounded as if he'd had a few drinks.

"He was scared because he was going to Iraq," Eric said. "He was telling me he loved me. He was crying. He said he didn't know what to do."

Family and friends said the thing they'll always remember about Santos is how easily he made them laugh. He'd recite favorite lines from movies or from comedian Dave Chappelle.

Santos met his fiancee, Vanessa Mota, at a track meet in high school. She had just finished a race and was reaching for a drink of water. "You know, if you put water up your nose you'll run faster," he said before demonstrating the technique, sending water spraying over his face.

Once, he decided to get even with the ice cream truck driver who frequently sped through their neighborhood. He perched behind a parked car, then leaped into the truck's path waving a $1 bill. The driver braked hard, sending merchandise flying through the truck. Eric said he and his brother got a good laugh out of that.

Santos graduated from Fontana High School in 2004. He had run on the cross country and track teams. He had a lean, runner's build when he enlisted, standing 5 feet 6 and weighing about 130 pounds. He dabbled in boxing during high school. While sparring at 16, he once landed a good combination, then quickly apologized to his ailing opponent, recalled his trainer, Ray Corona, who gave the young fighter a scolding.

Santos' mother, Irma, said she hoped her son would choose college over the military. Nonetheless, she and her husband, Carlos, immigrants from Guatemala, supported their son's decision. "We were not that thrilled, but at the same time we were proud — the first in the family to join the military," his mother said. "This country gave us so much."

During basic training in 2004, Santos asked a drill sergeant to explain his assignment as a cavalry scout, something he had not researched while enlisting. He learned that scouts serve as the eyes and ears of the battlefield commander, going ahead of the front lines to gather intelligence and harass the enemy.

"Santos was just shell-shocked. He thought he was getting into a desk job or something," Army buddy Andrew Townsend wrote in an e-mail from Tikrit, Iraq. "That whole incident is why I called him 'Crazy Lou,' cause he had to be crazy to sign up as a scout and not know anything about it. But we later joked about the whole thing and got a lot of good laughs out of it."

Because he was on assignment in another part of the country, Townsend learned of Santos' death about a week later.

"That was the only time I've cried in this country. I've seen a lot of stuff over here, a lot of good things and a lot of bad things. But I'll never forget how it felt knowing that Santos wasn't gonna be coming back to the States when we redeployed, and we weren't gonna be able to do all the things that we had planned to do together — barbecues, drinking a beer or two. Just everything."

Mota said she and Santos intended to start planning their wedding in November, when his assignment to Iraq was supposed to end. She spent much of the last month grieving. It was a time she had intended to spend with Santos, probably playing air hockey at an arcade at the Ontario Mills mall or taking a drive to Santa Monica, his favorite beach.

She was planning to surprise him with a scrapbook filled with photographs of themselves. There were pictures from the prom and of him lying drunk on the backyard lawn.

The last page was dedicated to their planned wedding. She included cutouts of a multitiered cake, a tuxedo, a wedding dress and a caption in fancy lettering: "And they lived happily ever after."

Copyright 2006 Los Angeles Times