A lump in your throat...

[eisely]

This has little to do directly with scouting, other than shared ideals. This is from the Wall Street Journal on line service. You will be moved. America remains a shining city on a hill if we care to see it.

_____________________________________________

 

Jos Antonio Gutierrez

He was an American hero. Now he's an American.

 

BY BRENDAN MINITER

Friday, April 4, 2003 12:01 a.m. EST

 

One of the first U.S. soldiers to die in Iraq was not an American citizen. He'd come here illegally as a teenager. His name was Jos Antonio Gutierrez. He was killed on March 21 by enemy fire while trying to secure Umm Qasr, a port vital for humanitarian aid. He was a 22-year-old lance corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps.

 

It's easy to discount talk of the American dream as hyperbole, a clich carelessly tossed about. But then there are people like Gutierrez, whose whole life proved that the naysayers were wrong. It is possible to escape the oppression of your circumstances. It's no coincidence that he joined the Marines, whose motto is "semper fidelis." Gutierrez remained always faithful to the dream that inspires the best within us. And for this he is an American hero.

 

 

 

 

 

Gutierrez was born in Guatemala, but he told his American foster family only an outline of his life there. It's easy to see the pain in the omitted text. His mother died when he was three. Five years later his father was dead. He left school to work a series of odd jobs to buy food for himself and his sister, Engracia. He learned about the U.S. from an American aid worker at a shelter.

Then "the mentor left," explains Lillian Cardenas--one of his foster sisters--so Gutierrez decided to head for America by stowing away on freight trains. He got stuck in Mexico for a couple of years, crossing into California when he was 14. He was determined to see Los Angeles. Somehow he ended up in Hollywood.

 

He slept on park benches and got food from a shelter. An alert social worker enrolled him in a program that helped him gain legal residency and placed him with a foster family. The first placement didn't work out. Neither did the second or the third. Finally in 2000, he came to live with Nora and Marcelo Mosquera (themselves immigrants from Costa Rica and Ecuador).

 

The Mosqueras have three "biological" children, but have cared for more than two dozen foster children over the years, some of whom they've adopted. They never adopted Gutierrez, but on Mother's Day last year he wrote home and "formally" asked if he could call them mom and dad.

 

He never forgot Engracia, often calling or sending her money. But he reached new heights with the Mosqueras. They pressured him to learn English (in frustration he'd say he just wanted to learn enough "to get by"). He had a strong faith in God and would urge his siblings to go to church--they were all Catholic. He was a private person, but would jokingly tell the family that someday "people will know my name." After high school he was recruited to play soccer for nearby Harbor College. There he began studying architecture.

 

 

 

 

 

Gutierrez loved America and talked about giving something back by enlisting in the Army. A few months after Sept. 11, he surprised everyone by announcing he'd joined the Marines. The Army recruiter just wasn't as convincing, he told them. After he graduated from Parris Island in March 2002, the Marines became another family for him.

"You always had to take the big car when you picked up Jos," Mrs. Cardenas recalls. "I have a little Acura, and once drove it the 90 minutes to Camp Pendleton to pick him up," she said chuckling. He was waiting there with five buddies. "Honestly, I have to tell you that you're not all going to fit." Sometimes he'd show up for dinner with as many as 30 Marines. "There were Marines everywhere," she said, but they were all welcome. "Whenever you'd have him around, you didn't have a worry in the world."

 

He knew the danger that awaited him in the Gulf. Before leaving, he asked his foster family to take care of Engracia. "You're her family now," he said. But Mrs. Cardenas also remembers why he was willing to go to war. "From what I've seen," Saddam has to be confronted, he told them. "It's my job. It's also my duty."

 

Gutierrez, along with Jos Angel Garibay--a Marine killed on March 23 battling for Nasiriyah--has now been awarded citizenship posthumously.

 

Mr. Miniter is assistant editor of OpinionJournal.com.

 

[OneHour]

Eisely, great story. Thanks. This story has everything to do with scouting. In every way, it encompasses the ideals of the Scout law and one of the three duties of a scout (Duty to Country).

 

The word "freedom" seems to be taken for granted here in the States. Until one has lived in a country that never had a similar ring, one will never realize the true love for the word and its ideals. Being a refugee, I have come to know and love this country of ours. Granted that I have encountered bigottries and biases for the last 30 years, I simply chalk them as ignorance and stupidity. Until those who have spoken ill against the United States have walked in my shoes, those of Jose Gutierrez, or the millions who have come here in search of that wonderful word, then they will never come close to appreciate the word "freedom" and its ideals. One can't begin to fathom the joy and elation after one has attain the US citizenship. Citizenship, that's another forgotten word.

 

There is not another country that allows one to have the freedom to speak as one wishes, to go anywhere as one chooses, to be governed by a representative of one choice, and so on. There is not another country where education is readily available (and almost free) to anyone who wishes to learn. There is not another country where one can become a millionaire or a pauper by one's choice not by another! There is not another country where one can pratice what one's believe in. There is not another United States of America!

 

The two songs that still bring tears to my eyes are the Star Spangled Banner and the other is:

 

"God Bless the U.S.A."

(Lee Greenwood)

 

If tomorrow all the things were gone

I'd worked for all my life,

And I had to start again

with just my children and my wife,

I'd thank my lucky stars

to be living here today,

Cause the flag still stands for freedom

and they can't take that away.

 

I'm proud to be an American

where at least I know I'm free,

And, I won't forget the men who died

who gave that right to me.

And I'll gladly stand up (!)

next to you

and defend her still today.

Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land...

God Bless the U.S.A.!

 

From the lakes of Minnesota

to the hills of Tennessee,

Across the plains of Texas

from sea to shining sea,

from Detroit down to Houston,

and New York to L.A.,

There's pride in every American heart

and it's time we stand and say:

 

I'm proud to be an American

where at least I know I'm free,

And, I won't forget the men who died

who gave that right to me.

And, I'll gladly stand up (!)

next to you

and defend her still today.

'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land...

God Bless the U.S.A!!

 

***************************************

 

God bless our troops and keep them safe!

 

Rest in peace our fallen heroes.

 

Tearfully YIS,

 

1Hour

 

 

ps: For those who think that I use eisely's thread to promote my own cause, I don't for I have no cause. It's my way to express my love and admiration for my adopted country and for all those who have and are sacrificing for this country.

[eisely]

1 Hour

 

As a native born american, my words can be but a pale reflection of what you say. Having never experienced neither real privation nor oppression, but having observed it, I can understand intellectually what it means for people to struggle to come here and get their citizenship, but I can never understand the depth of feeling.

 

There is plenty of room for honest disagreement about the wisdom of going to war with the Saddam Hussein regime at this time (I happen to favor the policy), but I get really angry at the arrogance, willful ignorance, and narcissism of many of the protestors. They do not care one whit about the suffering of the Iraqi people under this evil regime that is about to pass forever from the scene.

 

Bill Bennett expounded a wonderful argument when he would confront debaters in the 1980's who saw the Soviet Union and the United States as moral equivalents. He would pose what he called the "fence test". He would point out that the United States built fences to keep people out, while the then communist countries in Europe built fences to keep people in. Haters of the United States could never come up with an explanation for that.

 

May I ask from where you came to the United States?

[OneHour]

... from a little country that so many valiant US troops have fought thirty years ago, men who fought side by side with such men as my father ... men whom I can't find the proper words to thank!

 

YIS,

 

1Hour

[red feather]

No words seem right....thank you.

 

A short paraphrase of a poem might fit..

 

take a moment in your busy day to look around you and enjoy what you view for those who have given of themselves so that you have the freedom to do so...

 

May our troops be safe.

yis

[hops_scout]

Thought you might like this from another thread:

The American Military Man

 

This is really powerful. Whether or not we agree with the war with Iraq, the troops deserve all the support we can give them.

 

The average age of the military man is 19 years.

He is a short haired, tight muscled kid who, under normal circumstances

 

is considered by society as half man, half boy. Not yet dry behind the ears, not old enough to buy a beer, but old enough to die for his country.

He never really cared much for work and he would rather wax his own Car than wash his father's; but he has never collected unemployment either.

He's a recent High School graduate; he was probably an average

student, pursued some form of sport activities, drives a ten year old jalopy, and has a steady girlfriend that either broke up with him when he left, or swears to be waiting when he returns from half a world away.

He listens to rock and roll or hippo or rap or jazz or swing and 155 Mm Howitzers.

He is 10 or 15 pounds lighter now than when he was at home because he is working or fighting from before dawn to well after dusk.

He has trouble spelling, thus letter writing is a pain for him, but he can field strip a rifle in 30 seconds and reassemble it in less time in the dark.

He can recite to you the nomenclature of a machine gun or grenade

Launcher and use either one effectively if he must.

He digs foxholes and latrines and can apply first aid like a

professional.

He can march until he is told to stop or stop until he is told to

march.

He obeys orders instantly and without hesitation, but he is not

Without spirit or individual dignity.

He is self-sufficient. He has two sets of fatigues: he washes one and wears the other. He keeps his canteens full and his feet dry.

He sometimes forgets to brush his teeth, but never to clean his

rifle.

He can cook his own meals, mend his own clothes, and fix his own

hurts..

If you're thirsty, he'll share his water with you; if you are hungry, his food.

He'll even split his ammunition with you in the midst of battle when You run low.

He has learned to use his hands like weapons and weapons like they

Were his hands.

He can save your life - or take it, because that is his job.

He will often do twice the work of a civilian, draw half the pay and Still find ironic humor in it all.

He has seen more suffering and death then he should have in his short lifetime.

He has stood atop mountains of dead bodies, and helped to create

them.

He has wept in public and in private, for friends who have fallen in combat and is unashamed.

He feels every note of the National Anthem vibrate through his body While rigid attention, while tempering the burning desire to 'square away' those around him who haven't bothered to stand, remove their hat, or even stop talking. In an odd twist, day in and day out, far from home, he defends their right to be disrespectful.

Just as did his Father, Grandfather, and Great-grandfather, he is

Paying the price for our freedom.

Beardless or not, he is not a boy.

He is the American Fighting Man that has kept this country free for Over 200 years.

He has asked nothing in return, except our friendship and understanding.

Remember him, always, for he has earned our respect and admiration

With his blood.

 

RANGERS LEAD THE WAY

[eisely]

Apparently this young man had more friends than one would have guessed.

________________________

 

More than 1,000 pay respects to immigrant who died a hero

By Sandy Kleffman

CONTRA COSTA TIMES

 

LOMITA - Jose Antonio Gutierrez spent his early years as an orphan living on the streets of Guatemala.

 

On Monday, more than 1,000 people packed a Southern California church to laud him as an American hero.

 

The quiet, dedicated and fun-loving young man, who came to the United States seeking a better life, became one of the first two Americans to die in combat in the Iraqi war.

 

His extraordinary story, including a 2,000-mile trek through Mexico by train, bus and foot to reach the United States, clearly touched many who never knew him. They filled the pews of St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church for his funeral Mass. Several people saluted as uniformed Marines slowly carried in his flag-draped coffin.

 

Many others dabbed their eyes as the Mass ended and friends and relatives left the church to the tune "I'm Proud to Be an American."

 

Members of the foster family that took Gutierrez in after his arrival in the United States say he joined the Marines out of gratitude.

 

"Here he lived his dream," said foster sister Lillian Cardenas as she sat in front of their home over the weekend. "He wanted to give back to a country that's given him so much."

 

Lance Cpl. Gutierrez died March 21 after he was hit by enemy fire during a battle near the southern Iraqi city of Umm Qasr. He was not yet a U.S. citizen.

 

Also killed in combat that day was 2nd Lt. Therrel S. Childers of Harrison County, Miss.

 

When Roman Catholic Cardinal Roger Mahony learned of Gutierrez's story, he contacted Gutierrez's foster family and offered to officiate the funeral Mass. Mahony told the crowd that he faxed a letter to President Bush on Monday morning requesting that all immigrant men and women serving in the Iraqi war be granted immediate citizenship.

 

The United States awarded posthumous citizenship to Gutierrez and another Southern California Marine last week, but Mahony called such efforts inadequate. There are nearly 40,000 noncitizens serving in the U.S. military.

 

"They should not have to wait until they are dead and brought home in a casket to be given the citizenship which they truly deserve," Mahony said to loud applause. He noted that noncitizens take the same risks as anyone else.

 

"They are genuine brothers and sisters," he said.

 

Mahony added that he hopes Gutierrez's story draws attention to "the very special and heroic role played by immigrant people in our country."

 

"We have many men and women who come here seeking something better and they come with a generosity of heart, like Jose Antonio, in giving themselves to help make our country better," he said.

 

Gutierrez became a homeless orphan at age 8 after his father's death. His mother died earlier. That left Gutierrez and his older sister, Engracia, to fend for themselves.

 

In the mid-1980s, he entered a program in Guatemala run by Covenant House, an international organization that provides shelter and counseling for street kids.

 

He left Guatemala with a buddy in the 1990s to make the long trip to the United States. They hitchhiked and hopped as many as 14 freight trains, Cardenas said.

 

There are conflicting reports about Gutierrez's age at the time he left Guatemala. When U.S. immigration officials detained him in 1997, he told authorities he was 16 and without parents. That cleared the way for him to become a dependent of Los Angeles County and receive permanent residency.

 

The Los Angeles Times reported last week, however, that Gutierrez was 22 at the time, based on a copy of his birth certificate obtained from his hometown in Guatemala. That would have made him 28 at the time of his death. Family members continue to insist, however, that he was 22 at the time of his death.

 

Officials here eventually placed Gutierrez in the foster home of Marcelo and Nora Mosquera, immigrants themselves who had begun to take in a number of foster children after their own were grown.

 

He learned English, graduated from high school, briefly attended a junior college where he played on the soccer team, and dreamed of becoming an architect. Then he decided to join the Marines.

 

"He yearned for a sense of family, career and belonging in the United States," said Cardenas, reading from a statement prepared by the family. "Here in America and in our family, he found both. He joined the Marine Corps to defend the freedoms that were so important to him as a resident of the United States."

 

Nora Mosquera said after the funeral that she was overwhelmed by the support from the community. His sister, Engracia, flew to the United States to attend the Mass. The Mosquera family said they will make efforts to enable her to remain in the United States.

 

The family will honor Gutierrez's wishes, however, and bury him near his parents in Guatemala.

 

Some of the Marines who were in boot camp with him said they had no idea of his past until they read newspaper accounts after his death.

 

"It wasn't something that he flaunted," said Lance Cpl. James Boone. "On the personal side, he just enjoyed living. He didn't let all the things that had happened to him in the past affect his day-to-day life. He was fun-loving and enjoyed life. But at the same time, he knew as well as all of us do the risk involved with joining the Marines."

 

Father John O'Byrne of St. Catherine Laboure Catholic Church in Torrance, called Gutierrez "just a fabulous young man.

 

"He said somebody has to go there and make a better life for the women and children of Iraq," O'Byrne said.

 

 

[pfann]

My father was 65 when he passed away last September. In his younger days, he did a hitch in the Navy during the late 50's.

 

I cried at the funeral when I received his flag from the VA. I cried again when I looked through his military papaes and books from his Navy days.

 

I cried again when I got his cold war certificates from the government. Again I shed a tear when I realized he never applied for Social Security or Medicare because he didn't want to be dependent on anyone else.

 

I get choked up when my wife's uncle talks of his service in the Army during WWII, although my wife doesn't know that.

 

My wife doesn't quite understand when I cry like a baby watching Saving Private Ryan. I been choking up reading this thread and trying to type this post.

 

I believe that many immigrants have a special appreciation for what freedom means in this country. But some of us native born folks have paid atttention to what it means too. Maybe if more of us had an appreciation for our freedoms we might not have to work so hard to defend them all the time.

 

If I may twist a quote from Churchill, America is the most imperfect of countries...except for all the rest.

[acco40]

I believe the US population would be very surprised to find out the percentage of non-US citizens that serve us as sailors, marines, soldiers and airmen.

[fboisseau]

I have heard that President Bush has signed an executive order that expedites the citizenship process for non-citizens serving in the US military.

[twin_wasp]

So often, you hear "illegals" denounced as lawbreakers, criminals. Can't we design a process that awards not the technicalities of how you came to be here, but whether you are contributing to our society? I have heard of high school seniors who score at the top of their class who are unable to apply for college because they are illegals. These kids are exactly the folks our nation needs.

 

My great grandparents were famine refugees. They shipped out from Ireland to Canada around 1850 and then crossed over to upstate New York over what was probably an unregulated border. They did not have passports or papers. They had no legal right to be here. (To be fair, I believe at that time we did not have many laws regulating immigration)

 

Where would I be if they had been denied entry?