Angel de Jesus Lucio (Ramirez) laid to rest

BAKERSFIELD - A soldier who chose military service even as he waited to become a legal U.S. citizen was laid to rest with full military honor Friday morning in a Los Angeles cemetery.

Army Sgt. Angel De Jesus Lucio, 22, was killed on Veterans Day when an improvised explosive device exploded near his military vehicle.

It was his second tour of duty in Iraq.

Lucio was remembered as a hero in the eyes of many.

His father said growing up, his son always wanted to be in the Army. Lucio joined shortly after high school graduation four years ago with his parents’ support.

When away from the battlefield, Lucio loved being with family: his parents Ignacio and Marina, and two brothers and sisters.

The young soldier was recently married to Daniela whom he met while stationed in Germany.

Lucio planned to get U.S. citizenship when he returned from Iraq in March.

From KGET 17

Angel de Jesus Lucio may get posthumous citizenship

U.S. Army Sgt. Angel de Jesus Lucio, 22, was born in Saltillo, the capital of the Mexican state of Coahuila. He came to the United States with his family when he was 11. Earlier this month, he died in Iraq serving his adoptive country.

It is likely that Lucio, who was a legal permanent resident but not a U.S. citizen, will be granted citizenship posthumously, according to U.S. Army Sgt. First Class Zack Herrera, a casualty assistance officer who is helping Lucio's family with funeral arrangements and other matters.

Lucio, who had been assigned to a battalion in Germany, was a newlywed.

He married Daniela, a German national, in April, according to his mother, Marina. The couple neither had nor was expecting any children, Lucio's father, Ignacio, said.

"He introduced her to us on the Internet," Mrs. Lucio said in Spanish. "She is coming for the funeral."

Herrera said Lucio and his widow had planned to live together in the United States when his overseas tour of duty was over. He was planning to become a U.S. citizen and petition the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on Daniela's behalf.

He said once Lucio's posthumous citizenship status is granted, Daniela should be able to begin her path to citizenship as the widow of a fallen U.S. citizen serviceman.

According to a Nov. 14 news release from the U.S. Department of Defense, Lucio and two other soldiers were killed on Nov. 11. while engaging in combat operations in the city of Ar Ramadi, west of Baghdad. An improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle, injuring them fatally.

Mr. Lucio said he and his wife did not agree with his son's decision to enlist in 2002, but there was nothing they could have done -- or would have wanted to do -- to keep him from joining the military.

"No parent wants their kid to join the Army because of the danger," Mr. Lucio said with quiet resolve in Spanish. "But we supported him in his decision. We wanted him to be happy wherever he was."

Mr. Lucio said the attacks of Sept. 11 did not influence his son's decision to enlist.

"He liked the military since he was a child," he said. None of his other four children has ever expressed an interest in serving in the military, he said.

The Lucio family moved to Bakersfield from Pacoima three years ago, Mrs. Lucio said. Her son, who had joined the service immediately after graduating from San Fernando High School according to her husband, never lived in Bakersfield. Herrera said Lucio was sent to Germany six months after enlisting and was deployed to Iraq a month after that.

Mrs. Lucio said her son visited the family twice in 2004: in August for three weeks and at Christmas for two weeks.

Mr. Lucio called Angel de Jesus (his name means "Angel of Jesus" in Spanish) an exemplary son who never caused him or his wife any grief. "He was a happy person," he said.

Family friend Tammy Pulido, who got to know the Lucios at Christ the King Catholic Church in Oildale, where they worship together, said Angel Lucio "deserves a moment of honor."

"If you're an American, it's a tragedy to each and every one of us in the community," Pulido said.

She said the Lucios are people of faith and a very strong, albeit humble, family.

"I'm in awe at their strength," Pulido said.

"I think he's not gone," Fatima Lucio, a North High School student, said about her second-oldest brother. "He's still here and he's still watching over us as a big brother."

Besides his widow, Daniela Lucio, and parents, Angel de Jesus is survived by elder brother Ignacio Jr., 23, and younger siblings Fatima, 16; Luis, 12; and Maria, 8.

From the Californian

Sgt. de Jesus Lucio remembered

A Bakersfield family is mourning the loss of their soldier son killed in Iraq.
Sgt. Angel De Jesus Lucio, 22, wanted to be in the Army, his family said, and even though he was not from the U.S. he was proud to serve.

De Jesus Lucio’s father said his son will always be an angel for him.

The soldier was on his second tour of duty in Iraq when he was killed on Veterans Day when officials said a bomb exploded near his military vehicle.

Lucio’s father said growing up, his son always wanted to be in the Army and joined shortly after high school graduation four years ago with his parents’ support. Worry set in when Lucio was sent to the Middle East.

I told him to “be careful,” said Ignacio Lucio, the soldier’s father. “Too many people dying. Be careful. It’s too dangerous.”

When away from the battlefield, Lucio loved being with family, his parents Ignacio and Marina, and his two brothers and two sisters. The young soldier was recently married to Daniela, whom he met while stationed in Germany.

The last time the family saw their soldier was during Christmas four years ago.

His mother is grateful she spoke with her son on the phone for the last time just two days before he died.

Lucio was going to get his U.S. citizenship when he returned from Iraq in March.

From KGET 17

Related Link:
Angel Ramirez remembered

Related Link:
Angel De Jesus Lucio Ramirez killed by I.E.D.

Note: The U.S. military lists the full name as Angel de Jesus Lucio Ramirez