[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 14897]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 TRIBUTE TO THE LIFE OF CARLOS APARICIO

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JOE BACA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, October 5, 2011

  Mr. BACA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask Congress to pay tribute to 
a fallen soldier and unsung hero, Carlos Aparicio. Carlos was killed 
while serving on September 23, 2011, at the age of 19. A viewing will 
be held on Friday, October 7th, at Ingold Funeral Chapel in Fontana. A 
memorial mass will be held on Saturday, October 8th at St. Thomas More 
Catholic Church in Rialto. Burial will follow at Riverside National 
Cemetery.
  Carlos was born on January 9, 1992, in Fontana, California to 
Concepcion and Hugo Aparicio. He was the youngest of three children. He 
had an older sister, Maricela, age 26, and an older brother, Miguel, 
age 29. He grew up in Fontana and moved to Redlands in 2008. He 
attended Fontana High School before graduating from Redlands East 
Valley High School in 2010. In high school, he was a standout member of 
the football and wrestling teams. He also excelled in the classroom--
Carlos had a love for literature, and could often be found reading. He 
earned straight As on his last report card.
  Carlos enlisted in the Army in June 2010 after graduating from high 
school. After training at Fort Benning, Georgia, he went to Fort Pork 
in January 2011. He deployed to Afghanistan in February 2011. He was an 
infantryman with the 2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade 
Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Pork, Louisiana.
  Carlos died in Wardak province from wounds sustained when insurgents 
used an improvised explosive device to attack his unit, according to 
the Defense Department. He earned the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, 
the Army Achievement Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National 
Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Global War 
on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas 
Service Ribbon, the NATO Medal and the Combat Infantry Badge.
  His mother recalls that Carlos wanted to devote his life to serving 
in the military. ``He told us he loved America and he wanted to make a 
difference. He felt his purpose in life was to make the country 
safer,'' his mother says. The last thing Carlos told his mother was 
that his goal was to earn a Gold Star and become an Officer.
  His mother remembers him as an outstanding young man who achieved 
everything he set his mind to do. ``He was outgoing and touched a lot 
of lives. He was a very happy person,'' she says. His sister remembers 
Carlos for his big heart, intelligence and down to earth nature. ``He 
was our hero,'' she says.
  Carlos leaves with cherished memories his parents, two siblings, and 
his two grandmothers, Juana Torres and Audelia Aparicio. My thoughts 
and prayers, along with those of my wife, Barbara, and my children, 
Councilman Joe Baca Jr., Jeremy, Natalie, and Jennifer are with Carlos' 
family at this time. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me today 
in honoring a true hero, Carlos Aparicio.

                          ____________________