Jose Perez laid to rest

ONTARIO - His mother stood outside St. George Catholic Church Friday morning, leaning hard against her husband and crying softly.

The rumble of motorcycles down Palm Avenue announced the Patriot Guard Riders, 35 denim-vested vets who led the way for a hearse bearing the body of 21-year-old Army Spc. Jose Roberto Perez.

A black limo followed. It parked and sat for many silent minutes before a door opened and Jose Roberto's widow, Violeta, emerged from the car, her uncertain steps supported by a soldier in full dress uniform.
Nine days after Jose Roberto was shot and killed in the Iraqi city of Ramadi, more than 200 family members and friends gathered to say goodbye.

An eight-member Army honor guard stood at attention as the back door of the hearse opened.

A two-star general wrapped an arm gently around Violeta and whispered into her ear. She whispered thank you, and the white-gloved guard carried Jose Roberto's flag-draped casket slowly past the roses in the courtyard and into the church.

There were songs of faith and joy, harmonies of devotion performed with voice, guitar and piano.

The Rev. Alex Castillo said in Spanish that while the violence continues, this was a day to give thanks for the life of Jose Roberto.

He asked the audience what brought them here. A few quiet voices answered.

Respect. Faith. Love.

Comprehension.

He said Jose Roberto's mission is over. He is in your hearts. He is with God.

"Sometimes it is so difficult to say to our God, Thank you,' " he said. "And it is more difficult to accept the resurrection. It is here. It is here."

Small children in Catholic School uniforms walked single-file in the background as the honor guard carried Jose Roberto's casket out of the church.

As they loaded the casket into the hearse, Violeta stood with her family, a hand clutched to her heart.

When her 1-year-old daughter fussed and cried in a relative's arms, her 3-year-old brother, Little Jose, reached over and took her hand.

A woman holding a large American flag sat in a lawn chair near the entrance to Bellevue Memorial Park, waiting for Jose Roberto to pass.

Inside, a couple sat at the grave of their 9-year-old son, which was blanketed with brightly colored flowers and whirligigs and a sign wishing everyone a Happy Halloween.

They turned and watched as mourners streamed to Jose Roberto's nearby grave. When Castillo began to speak, the couple stood with the rest.

It was a circle of silence, broken only by Castillo's gentle words of comfort and the soft, random music of a wind chime hanging from a tree at another grave.

Castillo blessed the casket with Holy Water and the honor guard slowly folded the American flag that covered it.

A 21-gun salute shattered the silence. The sound of a bugler playing taps followed.

It is a time-honored military ritual, and the saddest ceremony in the world.

The general presented Jose Roberto's wife and mother with folded flags on behalf of a grateful nation. His mother held the flag to her heart, dropped her head and sobbed.

Violeta held a white dove, gently stroking its head before handing it to an attendant, who released it into the sky as a symbol of Jose Roberto's spirit flying free.

Jose Roberto now rests under the shade of a tall pine. He is home.

From the Daily Bulletin

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