Edinburg marine killed in Afghanistan
EDINBURG — A 20-year-old U.S. Marine from Edinburg has been killed in Afghanistan, his family said.
Details about how Lance Cpl. Derek Hernandez was killed in Afghanistan remain unclear, but relatives said he was one of three Marines killed Saturday in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
Hernandez's family gathered in his mother's Edinburg apartment Monday morning, still in shock from the news of her youngest son's death.
Department of Defense personnel informed Hernandez's mother, Virginia Reyna, of her son's death Sunday afternoon, she said.
"As soon as I saw them, I realized they weren't here to give me any good news," Reyna said, sobbing.
Hernandez is the 31st soldier from the Rio Grande Valley killed in the line of duty since 2003. He is a 2008 graduate of Edinburg High School.
Hernandez joined the Marines in July 2008 after graduating from high school. He was based at Ft. Templeton, Calif., and deployed to Afghanistan in April. It was his first tour of duty.
"We're mourning again in the Valley," said Jose Maria Vasquez of America's Last Patrol, a local veterans' advocate.
State Rep. Aaron Peña, D-Edinburg, wrote about Hernandez's death on his blog Monday morning.
"I am saddened that we have lost another young man to war. My condolences and prayers go out to his family. Derek Hernandez will not be forgotten," Peña wrote. "He will be woven into the tapestry of selfless service to country that has made this city a "Hometown of Heroes"."
For more on this story, read Tuesday's Brownsville Herald.
