RAYMONDVILLE — Veterans groups today placed a granite stone bearing the dates of Marine Lance Cpl. Anthony Aguirre’s birth and death on the small yard where he played as a little boy.
Aguirre was 20 when he was killed Feb. 26, 2007, after a roadside bomb exploded while he was on foot patrol in Iraq’s Al Anbar province.
“I’m real proud,” his father Arturo Aguirre, 78, said after a flag-raising ceremony in front of his home on East Gem Avenue. “When my son passed away, I thought people didn’t care. I thought people forgot. But here, people still remember him.”
About 100 veterans joined community leaders to honor the Marine they hailed as a hometown hero.
“The stone being unveiled today is a way to help us remember Anthony Aguirre,” state Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr. told the crowd huddle in front of the Aguirre’s front porch. “It hits at the heart of what this country is all about. We lose our sons and daughters in the act of bringing peace to the world.”
Members of American Legion Post 390 have worked to renovate the 26-foot by 24-foot plywood home where Aguirre’s keeps his son’s memories.
“This is the highlight of my career as a commander of the American Legion,” Commander George Solis said after the ceremony. “By far, this is the most rewarding project we’ve done on the part of a fallen hero.”
