Pfc Joseph Cruz


Grave marker for Pfc Joseph Cruz at Section J Site 3957 of the Fort Bliss National Cemetery, El Paso (El Paso County), Texas	Joseph Cruz: Infantryman dies in Afghanistan 'Red Devil' killed By Sandy Mazza, Staff Writer Article Launched: 03/16/2007 11:10:35 AM PDT Pfc. Joseph Cruz was not afraid of parachuting out of moving planes as a member of the Army's 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, also known as the "Red Devils. ' "He wasn't scared of much,' Ana Cruz, his sister, said Wednesday. Cruz, 22, who grew up in Whittier and graduated from a local high school, died in Bagram, Afghanistan on Saturday. Army officials said Cruz died from non-combat injuries sustained in an accident. U.S. Department of Defense officials have not provided details. Cruz attended Pioneer High School for the fall 2000 semester before transferring to Sierra Vista High School's independent study program. He graduated from Sierra Vista in 2001. Army officials notified Cruz's mother, Rosemary Aguirre, and his stepfather, Roberto Aguirre, who now live in El Paso, Texas, of their son's death on Sunday, the parents said. The family is preparing for Cruz's body to be shipped back to Texas for funeral services. "Right now, it's really hard to talk about,' Roberto Aguirre said in a telephone interview. "His body is overseas. We don't know what's going on, they haven't given us any specific information.' Cruz joined the Army just before graduating from high school. He was sent overseas soon after, his relatives said. In mid-September, he got a break from duty and went home to visit with his family for two weeks. "He surprised my mom,' said Ana Cruz. "He told her he was coming in November, and came early.' Ana, 21, lives in Pomona, and Joseph visited her for a few days while he was back, she said.	"In the beginning, he liked the Army. This time, he didn't want to go back. He had been to Afghanistan and Iraq already, and he was only 22,' she said. After Joseph saw a friend of his die in front of him about a year ago, he lost enthusiasm for his missions, Ana said. "He didn't want to talk to anybody and he was so upset,' she said. During his leave, Cruz joined part of his family on a cruise to Baja, Mexico, his stepfather said. "That's the hard thing he was just here. He was happy and had a lot of fun. He and his grandparents went on a cruise,' Roberto said. "He rested a lot while he was here. He didn't talk much about the Army.' Cruz was a "video game fanatic,' according to his stepfather. In high school, he often went to Hollywood Video in Whittier to stock up on games. The fighting game "Mortal Kombat' was one of his favorites, his relatives said. "He liked alternative rock, skateboarding and video games,' Ana said. Joseph was taking online college courses and planned to get a job after the Army, but Roberto Aguirre said he didn't know what type of work he wanted to do. Ana Cruz said that after Cruz joined the Army, his attitude seemed to change. He joked less often, she said, but he also became more polite to her and his family. "He wasn't rude and did what my mom told him to do,' she said. Ana Cruz said she was not happy about her brother's decision to join the Army because she worried about his safety. But, she said, it was a decision he made on his own. "He was a great kid,' said Roberto. "He was quiet and to himself. We were proud of him.' This article was published in the San Gabriel Valley [CA] Tribune, October 2005.

Joseph Cruz: Infantryman dies in Afghanistan