Mother of fallen soldier escorts body home

MISSION — Rosie Guerra embarked on the most difficult journey of her life Thursday as she accompanied the body of her son from Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to his final resting place in Mission.

Her son, 20-year-old Pfc. Diego Miguel Montoya, was killed in action Sept. 2 while serving as a military policeman in Laghman Province, Afghanistan.

Guerra spoke to The Monitor on Thursday morning while the charter plane she was travelling in stopped to refuel in Alabama.

“That was the most difficult thing I’ve ever had to do in my life,” she said about identifying her son’s body. “But I’m so honored and so privileged to have the opportunity to have done that for him because I realize I have been chosen to be the mother of a hero.”

Montoya, who was deployed for his first tour five months ago, was killed after insurgents attacked the unit he was in.

Guerra said she found strength in her faith and in knowing that she would be the one bringing her son home.

“The Lord has been in complete control of this situation, especially with me,” she said. “In Dover, when they heard it was the mother who was coming, they asked several times, ‘Is she sure this is what she wants to do?’ and my husband asked me again and again, and I said, ‘Yes, I will do this. I can do this.’ If he went on a mission to serve his country, well, then this is mine, to come and bring him back home.”

A few hours after the conversation, the proud mother stepped off the small-engine aircraft at McCreery Aviation in McAllen and found solace in her family’s embrace. She stepped away from them only for a brief moment to say a quiet prayer before the white and silver casket, draped in an American flag, was carried into the hearse.

About a hundred yards away, the family of Lance Cpl. Derek “Prime Time” Hernandez, another fallen soldier of the Rio Grande Valley, watched silently as they relived events too painful to forget.

“We’ve gone through the same thing and we know how it feels,” one of Hernandez’s cousins said. “So we want to be here to support them to let them know that they’re not alone.”

The family stood together holding flags and wearing T-shirts in memory of the soldier who died in June.

“I think that the wound is always going to be there,” his older brother Riley Hernandez said.  “We’re trying to stay very strong but you know it still hurts and it’s still very unbelievable. We still feel like he’s in Afghanistan.”

McAllen and Mission police, America’s Last Patrol, Patriot Guard Riders and other motorcycle clubs escorted the body to Ric Brown Family Funeral Home in Mission where his funeral service will be Saturday.

The Mission Fire Department set up a 20-by-36 foot flag at the intersection of Expressway 83 and Conway Avenue in Mission, where dozens of people lined up to show their support for the fallen hero as the procession went by.

Many of the onlookers said they didn’t know Montoya, but it didn’t stop them from showing their respects. One family was on their way to the store and decided to stop after they learned about the event from a Mission police officer. Another group of women took time during their lunch break to honor Montoya.

“We’re very glad to stand out here and support our veterans and the family of the fallen soldier,” said Mission Fire Chief Ricardo Saldaña. He and his staff of about 20 firefighters stood at attention as the body went by. “We’ll always support them.”

Many businesses, including McDonald’s, flew the American flag half-staff, and people, young and old, crowded corners to wave as the soldier passed by.

Guerra said she was very thankful for the welcome her son received.

“I am so proud of my hometown,” she said. “Just the way they’ve come together, and the outpour of their strength and prayers and love, it’s just amazing. It’s awesome. That’s why we’re proud to be Americans.”

Montoya will be buried on the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

“My son made a very conscious decision to be in the Army to serve his country. He was the epitome of bravery, of honor and courage,” she said. “He represented it all. He did not hesitate. He did not falter.  This is what he believed in. He was on a mission. He served that mission and he served it very successfully.”