Lester Baroncini laid to rest

Lester Domenico Baroncini Jr. wanted to come home to the rope, the saddle and his cowboy hat.

Those simple tools of the rancher hung near his flag-draped casket.

Baroncini's relatives, friends and fellow Army paratroopers crowded St. Francis of Assisi Church in Bakersfield for the soldier's funeral Mass Friday.

Army Sgt. Baroncini was fatally injured on Oct. 15 when two land mines detonated near his Humvee in Samarra, Iraq, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.

An Alabama soldier was killed by the same blast in one of the bloodiest months for American troops in Iraq.

Baroncini, 33, was sent to Iraq in July, assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division.

The Bakersfield High School graduate was inspired to serve his country by the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Mourners held cards bearing Baroncini's photo and the Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi.

The Rev. Craig Harrison weaved in portions of the prayer as he described the soldier: afraid of the dark as a young boy, simple, honest, fun. He loved his family, his horse and his dog.

"Each one of us here owes him our freedom, our respect, our love," Harrison said.

Brig. Gen. Joseph Votel of the 82nd Airborne read comments from Baroncini's comrades: He had "a walk that could be recognized from a mile away" and he could "drink a lot of beer."

But he was also ready to take a bullet for a soldier, Votel said.

Baroncini joined the Army in October 2003 and was assigned to his division in March 2004, according to the Army.

He went to New Orleans to help with Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.

Baroncini planned to take over the family ranching business upon his return from the Army.

At Greenlawn Southwest Cemetery after the Mass, soldiers from Baroncini's division fired seven rifles three times in his honor. A bugler played taps.

The cowboys in the crowd took off their hats as Harrison read a prayer.

Richard Zanutto of Walker Basin, father of Marine Cpl. Adam Zanutto, attended the funeral. Adam Zanutto, 26, died on March 6, nine days after he was injured by a roadside bomb outside Baghdad.

"Others have passed before our son," he said. "They came to our son's funeral. If they were strong enough to do it, we needed to do the same."

Family friends described Baroncini as sweet, sensitive and hard-working.

"He was the kind of boy every mom wants her daughter to bring home," said Tami Torigiani.

He knew how to read cattle, said his great-uncle and godfather, Dick Baroncini.

"He was a quiet fella, never said too much," he said.

"This boy, nothing rubbed off on him but good," his wife, Florence, added.

Baroncini's awards and decorations include the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart and several other honors.

"Everything he did, he did it right," said his great-uncle. "Or else, he didn't do it at all."

From the Bakersfield Californian

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