Russell P. Borea dies of injuries from I.E.D.

A Fort Bliss soldier was killed Friday, becoming the fifth soldier from the post to die in Iraq in less than a week.

Sgt. 1st Class Russell P. Borea, 38, died from injuries he suffered after an improvised explosive device detonated, Fort Bliss spokeswoman Jean Offutt said Sunday. No further details were provided.

Borea was a member of the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division.

Borea, a Task Force Lightning soldier, was working on combat operations in Iraq's Nineveh Province when the incident occurred, according to a news release on the Web site of the Multi-National Corps-Iraq.

Offutt said Borea had a home in El Paso. He is survived by his wife, Maria Borea, and their young daughter, a fifth-grader at Nixon Elementary School. Maria Borea is visiting family in Arizona, her neighbors said.

News of Borea's death shocked his neighbors Sunday evening.

"I feel like even though I don't really know him, I lost a friend," said Sgt. Maj. Dante Cacal, who lives behind Borea.

Across the street from Borea's home, the Wade family said they have known for days that something was wrong. A military chaplain knocked on their door Friday as he looked for Maria Borea.

"(Borea) seemed like a very nice guy. He liked being a father," Ken Wade said. "You could tell he was a good man by the way he was with his daughter."

He said before Borea was deployed, he was often outside his home working on landscaping projects with his wife and daughter.

Norma Calleros, another neighbor of the family, was brought to tears when she heard about the soldier's death.

"I can't believe it," she said. "She (Maria Borea) was so happy. I thought this would be a happy ending for this family because they had a new future. This is horrible."

Her husband, Luis Calleros, said Borea seemed proud to be in the military.

"When he left, we said 'Our thoughts and prayers are with you guys,'" he said. "They were such a happy family."

Borea's death comes after four others from the 4-1 Cavalry were killed Jan. 15 by an improvised explosive device.

From the Times