Friday, December 16 2005 @ 04:25 AM EST
Contributed by: River97
Views: 2,464
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www.stltoday.com
Rowena Navarro asked her son not to return to Iraq this summer when he came home to Wildwood for his younger brother's funeral.

The son, Army Spc. Peter J. Navarro, said he had to go back.
"Mom, they would be a man short," he told her. "They need me there."
Peter "Pete" Navarro, 20, was among four soldiers killed Tuesday in an attack in Taji, Iraq, the Department of Defense announced Thursday. Taji, about 12 miles northwest of Baghdad, has been the site of frequent attacks against U.S. forces.
Pete's younger brother, Daniel Navarro, 18, died in a motor vehicle accident in Washington state on July 5. Pete came home on a two-week leave from the military to attend the funeral.
"I wanted him to stay," Rowena Navarro told a reporter Thursday night. "I told all my kids I didn't want them to be in the military."
Pete Navarro's father, Jose Navarro, is a retired chief petty officer for the Navy. He described Pete as a strong-willed young man and dedicated soldier.
"He cared for the soldiers he worked with. He would do anything for his friends," Jose Navarro said. "And he told me he believed in what the mission was."
Two military officials came to the Navarro home on Tuesday to break the news.
"When I saw them," Rowena Navarro said, "I just lost it."
Jose Navarro said the military men told the family that Pete's mission was to patrol as they prepared Baghdad for the elections. He usually drove a tank, but he was in a Humvee when he was killed.
He and a group of soldiers were conducting combat operations Tuesday when an improvised explosive device detonated near their Humvee, the Department of Defense said in a release Thursday.
The soldiers were assigned to the Army's 2nd Battalion, 70th Armor, 3rd Brigade Combat Team out of Fort Riley, Kan.
The other soldiers killed were identified as Sgt. Brian C. Karim, 22, of Talcott, W. Va.; Spc. James C. Kesinger, 32, of Pharr, Texas; and Staff Sgt. Michael S. Zyla, 32, of Elgin, Ore.
Jose Navarro said he and his wife have lost two sons in less than six months. His third, surviving son is a freshman at Lafayette.
"We're doing .... not too good," Jose Navarro said slowly. Then, he added quietly, "We'll be OK, though."
Pete Navarro moved to Wildwood with his family when he was a senior at Lafayette High School. He joined the Army after graduating high school. He had been in Iraq since January. He was scheduled to be there for one year and return home next month. |
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A Texas Family