Friends, family recall Julian Arechaga

Sgt. Julian Arechaga's MySpace.com Web site still read "In Iraq Be Back March" days after his death on Oct. 9 in the line of duty.

The 23-year-old Marine, a 2002 graduate of Oceanside High School and Baldwin resident, is clearly missed by his friends, who have written numerous condolences on his Web page. Of course, he will be mourned most deeply by his family, which looked to him as a hero who was passionate about his job.

News came last week to Arechaga's family that he had been killed on his third tour in battle and his second mission in Iraq when his Humvee came in contact with an improvised explosive device. Surrounded by family and friends last week, Arechaga's sister Sheyla Randazzo tried to explain the great impact life in the Marines had on her younger brother.

The day after his death, the Randazzo family gathered at his sister's Baldwin home, where they shared their tears and spoke affectionately about Arechaga.

Though he spent most of his teenage years running with the wrong crowd, Sheyla said, Arechaga began to turn his life around during his time at OHS. She said she really saw the transformation completed when her brother enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps four years ago. "He was right out of high school," she said. "It changed his whole life around, and he became a man."

This isn't the first time Baldwin has mourned the loss of one of its own in Iraq. In 2004, Army Specialist Wilfredo Urbina, 29, was killed in Baghdad when a car bomb exploded close to his Humvee.

Like Urbina, Randazzo said, Arechaga wanted to enlist after 9/11. He made his way up through the ranks to infantry sergeant in the 1st Battalion Sixth Marine Charlie Company, and was in charge of a platoon. "He was very dedicated to his job," she said. "He was just one of those committed, loyal people."

Arechaga had a lot of friends, and his loyalty to his fellow Marines led him to volunteer for what would be his last mission. Although he had finished his required assignments in Afghanistan and Iraq last year and come home, his friends were being called again to Iraq, and he thought he would be ordered back to the Middle East eventually as well. He decided to go with them and left for Ramadi, Iraq, on Sept. 7.

For Sheyla and her husband, Russ Randazzo, this action was just further testament to Arechaga's personality. Russ described his brother-in-law as "a nice guy anyone could talk to," with a great sense of humor. Russ's brother, Andy, added that Arechaga was "sarcastic but quiet."

Acting as a parent as much as a sister, Sheyla had intervened in her brother's life early on. Their father, Julian Arechaga Sr., had been separated for many years from their mother, Mirna Martinez, who died last June of cancer.

Sheyla took her brother out of Baldwin Senior High School before his junior year, hoping he would fare better at a different school, and made sure that he graduated from Oceanside High School in the summer 2002. Andy Randazzo said that Sheyla and Russ's interventions like these turned Julian¹s life around.

Arechaga, always athletic and thus a good fit for the Marines, according to Sheyla, made a tremendous improvement at Oceanside, where he joined the wrestling team and won medals. Mike Janosko, head football coach at the high school, was Arechaga's varsity wrestling coach.

Janosko described him as a model student. "He was one of those good, hard-working kids," Janosko said. "He came to school every day. He really cared a lot about wrestling and always went to practice. And he held a job and helped out his family. He was a kid with high character. It's really devastating what happened to him."

Arechaga also began to do well academically in school, and Sheyla smiled with pride as she recalled his making the honor roll at Oceanside.

In a section of his MySpace.com page, Arechaga listed his heroes. He cited his sister among them, giving her and Russ credit for raising him and heading him in the right direction. Arechaga also mentioned his mother and her struggle with cancer.

Even after her death, the summer had its upside for the family. Arechaga married 19-year-old Felicia on June 17. The two Marines had met while both were stationed in North Carolina. "He just fell in love with her," Sheyla said, adding that the two had known each other for a few months when Arechaga told his sister he was going to propose. The newlyweds bought a home in North Carolina in July, but planned to move in with the Randazzos and their daughters when Arechaga's tour was finished in March.

Randazzo said that both of her children, Alexandra, 5, and Ava, 17 months, were close to their uncle. Alexandra would say Arechaga was in "kayak" when asked about his location, because "Iraq" was not yet in her vocabulary.

"They used to bounce around, swim in the pool," Russ recalled. "They would do everything together."

Russ was especially close with Arechaga, and according to Andy, they were more like brothers than brothers-in-law. "He talked to my brother a lot about [Iraq]," Andy said. "Russ and him were probably the closest outside of his buddies in the military."

Andy said the two would spend long hours at night on the front porch of the Randazzos¹ Baldwin home talking about Arechaga's experiences whenever he completed a tour.

The Randazzos had also shared many vacations with Arechaga, and Sheyla recalled getting into Sesame Place in Pennsylvania for free because of her brother's military status.

They also recalled his fondness for video games. "He would get a game and finish it that night," Russ said. And on Arechaga's Web site, he said he loved mixed martial arts, and wanted to compete in the Ultimate Fighting Championship when he got out of the Marines.

The Randazzos said that Arechaga had a lot of friends. Some of them have posted endearing messages on his Web site, creating a sort of Internet memorial. One wrote, "Chaga, you were one of the greatest marines I served with. You're my hero."

Others echoed those sentiments, saying they were honored to serve with Arechaga and admired his leadership qualities. "Through our years of service, I can truly say you're one of the finest Marines I served with, not only as my squad leader but also as a friend," read another message, and, "You taught me so many very important traits in being a leader."

"You truly are one of the best," read another.

Sheyla said that her brother planned to go to college and hoped to become a Suffolk or Nassau County police officer. He had already been looking at schools like Molloy.

The Randazzos last heard from him on Oct. 7, two days before his death. Sheyla said Julian wasn't supposed to call them for another two weeks, but he called his wife, who he didn't know was visiting the family in Baldwin. "He sounded different," Sheyla recalled, adding that he seemed scared and had told Felicia the upcoming mission was to be the hardest one yet.
The Randazzos have begun thinking about services to honor Arechaga, who will posthumously receive a Purple Heart. "He was a hero," Sheyla said.

"To his country and his family," Russ added, as he and other loved ones nodded in agreement. "We'll miss him."

From the Herald Community News

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Julian Arechaga killed by improvised explosive device on 3rd tour