MISSION — Noel Zuniga sat alone on a tool box in the bed of his white GMC pickup truck — was parked in the parking lot at Rivera Funeral Home. A pair of tan-colored tactical boots sat on the roof of his truck and an American flag hung motionless on the windless day from a long pole mounted on a hitch near the truck’s bumper.
In the same parking lot, a group of men — members of the Patriot Guard Riders — gathered around the bed of a truck and retrieved their own American flags. As they walked to the front of the funeral home and got into formation, one man stayed behind and called out to Zuniga, asking him if he’d like to join them in formation.
He agreed.
Zuniga, who lives in Colorado Springs, was in town visiting family when he heard that the body of Staff Sgt. Robert Magallan, 29, would be returning to Mission.
“I was at home and I just found out today,” Zuniga said. “I figured I’d come and pay my respect. I don’t know his history, but being in the military we’re all brothers and sisters in the eyes of Christ. When you enlist, we’re all brothers and sisters.
“I had five deployments and made it,” he continued. “When somebody goes out in defense of the country and doesn’t come home, well that’s sad. I’m here to pay respects for him and the family, and the nation as a whole.”
Magallan, a Mission native, died in the early morning hours of July 28 while on a temporary assignment in Lithuania. He was a section sergeant with the 11th Theater Tactical Signal Brigade out of Fort Hood near Killeen, Texas.
According to a news report in Lithuanian National Radio and Television, Magallan was the sole occupant of a Volkswagen Taigo that drove off of a drawbridge into the Danė River in central Klaipėda, Lithuania at 12:45 a.m.
The report further said Magallan had rented the vehicle and traveled from Latvia to a hotel in Klaipėda. He was reportedly in civilian clothes at the time of his death.
An investigation is being conducted by local authorities and the U.S. Army, the report said.
Tuesday marked the last leg of the journey home for Magallan’s body. Representatives from the Mission Police Department, Hidalgo County Precinct 3 Constable’s Office and the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office led a procession south on U.S. Highway 281, then west on U.S. Highway 83 toward Conway Avenue.
“It’s a great honor for the city of Mission and the Mission Police Department to escort Robert Magallan, who is a military veteran who was killed in a vehicle accident back in Lithuania,” Mission police spokesman Arturo Flores said. “It’s a great honor for us to escort this gentleman back to his hometown to be with his family.”
Just before 3:30 p.m., police sirens could be heard in the distance. Soon after, a Mission police unit parked in the center lane of Conway Avenue and blocked traffic. Following close behind was the procession of local law enforcement units, a black hearse, two white vans with members of the Fort Sam Houston Honor Guard, and vehicles with Magallan’s family members.
As the hearse pulled into the funeral home’s parking lot, the Patriot Guard Riders who stood in a flag line near the entrance were called to attention. After the hearse passed by, the Patriot Guard Riders took their flags and formed two lines leading to a side entrance of the funeral home.
The honor guard stood in formation as the rear door of the hearse was opened, revealing a silver-colored coffin draped with an American flag. As those in attendance stood at attention, the coffin was carried into the funeral home.
David Treviño, assistant deputy state captain for the Rio Grande Valley Patriot Guard Riders, said his organization provides services for veterans from Brownsville to Roma.
“We were called upon to be here to receive our brother, United States Army Staff Sergeant Robert Magallan,” Treviño said. “This is what we do. We honor our veterans and also their families. We’re here to support the family as well and their situation.”
Treviño said his organization attends up to three veteran services a week at the request of the families. He added that those who participate in the services are all volunteers.
“It’s sad — situations like this, whether KIA (killed in action) or active duty, when you hear someone that is serving their country, whether servicewoman or serviceman, it hits us,” Treviño said. “They are at the front lines to protect us. When one of them passes, we feel it. No mission is the same regardless of how many times we are there. Every mission is different.”
“We do this to give our fallen veterans their last farewell.”
To see more, view Monitor photojournalist Joel Martinez’s full photo gallery here:
Photo Gallery: Body of Mission serviceman killed in Lithuania returned home
