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Caption for Photo:
The flag-draped casket of Marine Cpl. Michael A. Estrella, the 2,500th member of the U.S. military to be killed in Iraq since the war began, arrives Friday at Riverside National Cemetery. Taps were played during the ceremony, and the Estrella family released 21 doves. David Bauman / The Press-Enterprise

Fallen Marine honored at funeral services

12:37 AM PDT on Saturday, June 24, 2006
By HERBERT ATIENZA
The Press-Enterprise

Relatives, friends and supporters bid their last farewell to Marine Cpl. Michael Estrella in emotional services Friday.

Estrella, 20, a 2003 Hemet High School graduate, was killed June 14 in combat in Iraq, the 2,500th member of the U.S. military to die in that country since the war began, according to Marine officials.

A funeral Mass was celebrated at Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church in Hemet, followed by interment at Riverside National Cemetery, where the Marine was honored with a 21-gun salute, and his parents, Francisco and Maria, received his posthumous Purple Heart Medal.

The Rev. Barnabas S. Kileu blessed the Marine's coffin prior to presiding at a bilingual funeral Mass.

"We are very sad, we are very sorry, but something consoles us, and that is the promise of eternal life with Jesus Christ," Kileu, parochial vicar of the Our Lady of the Valley Parish, told a large group of about 150 people.

A diverse crowd gathered for both the Mass and interment services, including family members from different parts of Southern California, veterans, enlisted Marines and colleagues from Hemet High School.

After the Mass, a motorcade took Estrella's remains to Riverside National Cemetery, where Marine pallbearers led grieving friends and family in the emotional but solemn and dignified ceremony at the cemetery's amphitheater.

During the ceremony, taps was played and 21 doves were released by the Estrella family. A lone dove was released by his parents representing their son; the other doves represented well wishes of his loved ones.

"He was a wonderful person and a wonderful cousin," said Cynthia Enriquez, 15, of Redondo Beach, who, like many family members, wore matching white shirts imprinted with a picture of Estrella, describing him as "our family hero that will be truly missed but never forgotten."

Vanessa Lozano, 19, of Santa Ana, remembered her cousin's thoughtfulness and good nature.

"We had a lot of very good times," said Lozano, remembering trips to the beach at San Felipe, Mexico. "He was very close to his cousins and to his family."

Mary Hancock, 21, who was a fellow cadet in the Hemet High JROTC, remembered getting a call from Estrella the night before he was to leave for Iraq three months ago and how he looked forward to it.

"He was just excited about going there and serving his country," Hancock said.

By many accounts, Estrella fulfilled his longtime dream of being a Marine. He was a field radio operator stationed at Marine Corps Base Hawaii.

Lt. Binford Strickland, a spokesman at the base in Hawaii, said Estrella was killed when Marines were attacked by small-arms fire while on foot patrol in Al Anbar Province.

Gov. Schwarzenegger issued a statement expressing condolences to the Estrella family.

"As a Marine, Michael courageously fulfilled his duty to service and responsibility. We owe a debt of gratitude to Michael, his family and all other service personnel for the sacrifices they make to ensure our freedom," Schwarzenegger said in the statement.

Estrella became the second Hemet High alumnus to be killed in Iraq. U.S. Army Spc. Jason Chappell, 22, a 2000 Hemet High graduate and former Hemet High academic decathlon team member, was killed there in January 2004.

Reach Herbert Atienza at 951-763-3464 or hatienza@PE.com

© 2006, The Press-Enterprise Company

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

http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-estrella9jul09,0,1047698.story?coll=la-home-obituaries

From the Los Angeles Times
MILITARY DEATHS
Marine Cpl. Michael Estrella, 20, Hemet; Sniper Victim Was 2,500th U.S. Military Death in Iraq
By Seema Mehta
Times Staff Writer

July 9, 2006

The 2,500th member of the U.S. military killed in Iraq was Cpl. Michael A. Estrella, a 20-year-old Marine from Riverside County enamored of the military since his Junior ROTC days at Hemet High School.

Estrella was killed June 14 by a sniper while on foot patrol in Haditha, in the insurgent stronghold of Al Anbar province. He was a field radio operator with the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force, based in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.

"He was just special," said his mother, Maria. "He did everything, and he never gave me any problems. He was always there for me and his brothers and sisters. He did a lot for his family."

She last spoke with her son June 11 when he called to inquire about his cancer-stricken great-grandfather, Victor Gonzalez Sr. He had fought in World War II as an Army Air Forces pilot, experiences Estrella heard about while growing up and that influenced his desire to join the military.

At Hemet High, Estrella joined the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps, appreciating the order and discipline required by the drills. He moved up the ranks and by graduation was a flight commander overseeing 30 cadets.

But Estrella preferred to be on the ground when it came to serving. "He always said he wanted to be out there fighting with his brothers," his mother said.

Estrella joined the Marine Corps in September 2003 and was sent to Kaneohe Bay. While stationed on Oahu, Estrella wiled away his off-hours driving his car around the island, visiting the beach and unsuccessfully searching for an authentic version of his favorite dish, menudo.

In November 2004, he was deployed to Afghanistan for eight months, an experience that changed him.

"He was just depressed about everything he had seen, and he was scared," his mother said. "That's why when he left for Iraq, it scared us as well."

Knowing an Iraq deployment was inevitable, Estrella's mother tried to persuade her son to tell the Marine Corps about his asthma problems in hopes he would be relieved of duty. But she said her son refused: "He said, 'No, I have to go.' He said he wanted to be there with his brothers."

Estrella was sent to Iraq in March. The day before he left, he shipped his car home, an unexpected act that makes his mother wonder whether he had a premonition.

"I'm thinking he was being prepared," she said. "He knew, or maybe he had that feeling: 'I'm not coming back, I better get everything in order for my mom.' "

Estrella is survived by a large family, including five younger brothers and sisters for whom he would baby-sit while his mother and father, Francisco, worked.

His sister Sasha, 18, said her brother was her best friend, whom she would seek out for advice about boys and other teenage issues.

"I always used to talk to him about everything," she said. "He would always tell me, 'Don't worry; you've got to keep your feet up and keep walking.' He would tell me that he would always be there for me and support me."

Estrella also is survived by about 30 cousins. Last summer, most took a trip to San Felipe, Mexico, where they sunbathed and rode all-terrain vehicles on the beach.

"It was just spending family time together," said cousin Vanessa Lozano, 19. "He was a good cousin and a good friend."

Another cousin, Cynthia Enriquez, 15, recalled that when Estrella came home on leave, "it was like a party."

But those meetings were bittersweet, she said.

"I wasn't sure if he was going to come back or not," she said. "This is what I was most afraid of."

Estrella was buried June 23 with military honors at Riverside National Cemetery after a funeral Mass at Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church in Hemet. His parents received his posthumous Purple Heart at the burial.

Estrella also was awarded the Combat Action Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and Sea Service Deployment ribbon.

Copyright 2006 Los Angeles Times

I am so ashamed that I wasted my vote on a piece of crap like george warmonger bush. It is clear that the last three presidents produced by the republican party were nothing more then corrupt puppets who only represented the interests of the rich and elite of this country. There is a very special dark place in hell for these people who have manipulated the stupidity and one dimensional voting habits of the religeous right wing of this nation. The religious right wing of this nation should be ashamed. They will vote for any worthless idiot who claims to be against abortion. You people are anything but conservative and you do not represent the interests of the average typical American voter. Bush pimped the presidency and the the republican party has turned Congress and the Senate into an auction house for sale to the highest bidder in the corporate business community. I'll never make the mistake of voting republican again. Thanks for the memories GOP.

I am so ashamed that I wasted my vote on a piece of crap like george warmonger bush. It is clear that the last three presidents produced by the republican party were nothing more then corrupt puppets who only represented the interests of the rich and elite of this country. There is a very special dark place in hell for these people who have manipulated the stupidity and one dimensional voting habits of the religeous right wing of this nation. The religious right wing of this nation should be ashamed. They will vote for any worthless idiot who claims to be against abortion. You people are anything but conservative and you do not represent the interests of the average typical American voter. Bush pimped the presidency and the the republican party has turned Congress and the Senate into an auction house for sale to the highest bidder in the corporate business community. Bush, Cheney and all of their republican suporters have a lot of innocent blood on their hands as they are responsible for the murder of our sons and daughters in illegal unconstitutional wasteful military actions that have nothing to do with protecting our nation. I'll never make the mistake of voting republican again. Thanks for the memories GOP.

You should be ashamed for voting for Bush. Anyone with even half a brain would have known that he is a piece of crap who only does things which benefit the rich, elite and corporate wealthy of this nation. Bush's keepers and handlers include large corporate America and the Project for a New American Centery. If you bow down and worship them then Bush will be more then happy to be your daddy. Bush and the current genre of republican lawmakers are not conservative, not of the people and definitely not for the people. Plutocracy is what they stand for with them and rich constituents making up the rich small ruling class of the country.