Family plans fund-raiser to bring fallen soldier home

[Nambe]

nwitimes

EAST CHICAGO -- The family of U.S. Army Pfc. Luis A. Perez, 19, who died in Iraq last week, is hoping to raise money to bring him home for a funeral service and burial.

The U.S. Army is paying for the transport of Perez's body to New York, where his wife, Molly, lives. A memorial service for Perez will be held there, and then his family will accompany his body on a flight to Indiana.

Because the military only will pay to transport the body to one location, East Chicago community leaders and local businesses are working with Perez's family to set up a trust fund and organize a fund-raiser to help bring Perez back to Indiana for burial. Family members met with organizers Monday and will finalize their plans today. ..

Don't soldiers get any life insurance for survivors?


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[The_Casual_Observer]

1. I'm surprised that they aren't charging them for the flight to NY

after all, didn't they just liberate the cemetery in Najaf?

[necso]

2. Would you be so kind as to post details when they are available?

I am interested in contributing.

[Nambe]

6. Just click on the link at the top of the page!

Posters are only allowed 4 paragraphs. I recomend going straight to the article every time as oppossed to reading the posters edition. It is impossible to get even a semblance of the story in 4 paragraphs.

Let me know if the link isn't working for you.

[necso]

8. Well, I am an idiot,

but I read the article and didn't see a link or anything to contribute.

(I mean no offense.)

[Erika]

3. We've Got To Start Getting Tough

Picket Cheney's house and Halliburton's office to get our dead kids back.

[Erika]

4. Leave the body at the airport and see the ruckus

Make the government stand up for what they are doing to our kids. Enough is enough. The hell with us raising private donations.

[krkaufman]

5. OK, *that* is horseshit...

Victims of this war should be flown to wherever in the States the family wants. We're not talking about some country-wide tour, for dog's sake.

[Nambe]

7. My cousin is a military doctor based in El Paso.

He and his family fly all over the place on military transport just for fun. Rank is everything, even when you're dead.

[RivetJoint]

13. The military will fly his

body to one location wherever that one location is. Looks like his wife chose New York. If they want it to go to a second location, the military will not pay for that.

Your cousin flies Space A on military aircraft; cost is $10 per segment. Rank has nothing to do with Space A; it's now first come, first serve.

[LosinIt]

9. Theresa, NY is my hometown, I just read about his death in the local paper

while I was at my mother's house. This is one of those weird moments when everything comes together. Mom and I were trying to find out where this family was living. It was listed as Main Street and from what we could figure out it was in an apartment block that has got to be truly substandard housing (unless they have done some MAJOR renovations, which I highly doubt). Theresa (pronounced with the TH, not as the female first name normally is) is such a small town, it has maybe 500 in the village and that is probably stretching it. It is near Fort Drum. Is that the best housing they could provide for this family?

I found this link to a local TV station in Watertown.
http://www.wwnytv.net/72k/full-story.asp?uid=6153&area=home+page

He had graduated from Thousand Islands high school in 2003 and had married his high school sweetheart who is now still a senior at the high school. This is so sad.

[fortyfeetunder]

10. Are the young people understanding all of this?

When I see young lives slain...I am now old enough to be the parent of some of the killed, I remember how my anger during the Vietnam era tjat I could not vote to change things. But today, if young people don't realize if they don't vote in November, they too can be another Tony Perez if * decides to start a draft for all young folks....

RIP Tony.

[LosinIt]

11. It's Luis Peres

not Tony, but I agree 100%.

[LosinIt]

12. Here's another link with a video of his father talking

He is in the military and didn't want his son to be. But, the son wanted to "defend" his country, so he joined. So sad.

[RivetJoint]

14. Yes, most soliders

have SGLI. It costs $18/month for $250K coverage. It's automatic unless a solider DECLINES to accept it.

[mbperrin]

15. Meanwhile, * continues to fly limos all over the US

at our expense.........