Brian A. Botello

Wednesday, May 02 2007 @ 08:22 AM EDT

Des Moines Register -- A U.S. Army soldier from northwest Iowa has been killed in Iraq while participating in a military crackdown aimed at stabilizing the war-torn country, the Department of Defense said Tuesday.

Pfc. Brian A. Botello, 19, of Alta was among three soldiers who died in Baghdad on Sunday of wounds suffered when their vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb during a combat patrol, military officials said.

Botello joined the Army in July 2005, serving as a cavalry scout, and he had been in Iraq since October.

Alta is a farming community of 1,865 people northwest of Storm Lake in Buena Vista County. Alta Mayor Tom French said that word about the soldier's death had begun to spread around town on Monday and that he ordered that all flags be lowered to half-staff as a sign of patriotism and respect.

"It's a tragic event," French said.

Botello, who was single, was the son of Karyn Brophy of Alta and Tony Botello of Muskegon, Mich. He was born in Michigan but lived most of the time with his mother in Iowa, relatives said. He was a 2005 graduate of Alta High School, where he had participated in football, wrestling and track, and had been involved in a musical production.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

Botello's father said he was notified of his son's death about midnight Sunday.

"I'm numb right now," said Tony Botello, a Marine Corps veteran. "He wanted to serve. ... He has my genes. I'm proud of him 1 million percent."

The fallen soldier's aunt said she was watching television coverage of a homecoming ceremony for a Marine Reserve unit when she got the call that her nephew had died in Iraq.

"It was hard to see all those happy families," said Gaynell Martinez of Grand Haven, Mich. "There will be no happy homecoming for Brian."

Fred Maharry, superintendent of the Alta Community School District, said Botello was known as a friendly, respectful and caring young man.

"He had a wonderful smile and he was a good friend to others. Students who graduated from here a couple of years ago, especially, are having a really hard time with this, and we all are. It's a great loss for our community," Maharry said.

The Rev. Doug Corlew, senior pastor at Summit Evangelical Free Church in Alta, where Botello had worshipped, said the young soldier will be greatly missed.

"We are very proud of Brian for his brave service to our country and his sincere desire to make his life count in the protection of our freedoms," Corlew said in a statement. "He was deeply loved by our church family and he will be greatly missed by all who knew him. Our hearts go out to Brian's family as they mourn this great loss, and trust in God's promise of eternal life through Jesus Christ."

Botello is the 54th person with Iowa ties to have died in the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan since March 2003.

The two soldiers who died with Botello were identified by the Defense Department as Staff Sgt. Jay E. Martin, 29, of Baltimore and Sgt. Alexander J. Funcheon, 21, of Bel Aire, Kan. In addition, an Iraqi interpreter, whose name was not released, died in the attack.

They were assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, of Fort Carson, Colo.

The soldiers had been conducting operations with Iraqi security forces in the eastern section of the Iraqi capital in support of Operation "Fardh Al-Qanoon," or "Enforcing the Law," a campaign aimed at stabilizing Iraq, said officials with the U.S. Central Command. These combined operations are intended to reduce sectarian violence and to create a safe and secure environment where families and businesses are able to thrive, officials said.

2 comments

http://iraq.pigstye.net/article.php/BotelloBrianA