Marine Cpl. Roberto Abad
Death: Aug 06, 2004
" of Los Angeles Calif.; assigned to Battalion Landing Team 1/4 (1st Battalion 4th Marine Regiment) 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit I Marine Expeditionary Force Camp Pendleton Calif.; killed Aug. 6 by enemy action in Najaf province Iraq. When Roberto Abad learned he would be deployed to Iraq for a second time he decided it was time to father a child. ""He wanted to have a child in case he never came back said his father Roberto Abad. We're going to be able to have a memory of him now."" Abad22 of Bell Gardens Calif. died in combat Aug. 6 in Iraq's Najaf province. He was stationed at Camp Pendleton Calif. Although proud of his service Abad also looked ahead to life after the military and planned to become a firefighter attend college and marry his girlfriend his family said. The oldest of seven children he joined the Marines just after high school and participated in the U.S. invasion of Iraq last year. He was deployed again earlier this year. ""I looked up to him my whole life said Abad's brother Diego who joined the Marines in February. He would tell me to never give up on anything you believe in."" Abad is survived by his girlfriend Tania Valazquez who was expecting their child. — Associated Press"