Marieo Guerrero dies of injuries from I.E.D.

FORT WORTH -- A 30-year-old soldier from Fort Worth was killed by a roadside bomb Saturday on his last mission before a scheduled trip home on R&R.

Spc. Marieo Guerrero, who joined the infantry because he wanted to make a difference in the world, was driving a Bradley Fighting Vehicle when the attack occurred in Baghdad. The Army told his mother that he was the only one in the vehicle killed.

"It's unreal that this is happening," his mother, Cheryl Martinez, said from her home in Crowley.

Funeral services are pending at Laurel Land Funeral Home.

Spc. Guerrero is the 22nd man killed in Iraq from Tarrant County and the 15th from Fort Worth, one of the highest totals of any city in the country.

He was, his family said, a caring man who looked after his mom and sisters, loved being around animals and could shoot a mean game of pool. They worried about him constantly while he was in Iraq, but he never told them that he felt in danger.

"He knew the circumstances of joining the Army," his younger sister, Carrie Sharif, said.

Born Sept. 8, 1976, Spc. Guerrero attended Southwest High School before finishing up his high-school years at Trimble Tech in 1995.

He had a variety of jobs after high school but decided to pursue the Army in 2004.

"He wanted to be front-line infantry, not for college money or anything, but to make the world a better place," his mother said.

After infantry training at Fort Benning, Ga., Spc. Guerrero was assigned to Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry, in Schweinfurt, Germany. He deployed to Iraq late last summer with the Germany-based 1st Infantry Division.

Although Spc. Guerrero wore the 1st Infantry patch, his unit was assigned to an area under the control of the 1st Cavalry Division.

He called his family almost every day, no matter where he was -- Georgia, Germany or Iraq. He was, they said, the last one to go to bed, the first one to get up, always asking how everyone was doing.

"He was the backbone of the family," said his younger brother, Marcus Martinez. "He made sure everyone came before him."

Spc. Guerrero was, they said, unafraid of almost anything. The only thing they could think of made them laugh.

"The only thing I know of is newborns," his sister said. "He did not hold newborn babies."

Spc. Guerrero called Friday night to tell his family that he loved them and that he had one more mission before he would be released on R&R to come home.

"Then we didn't hear anything else," his sister said.

He is also survived by his wife, Jennifer; stepfather, Moises Martinez; and sister, Lisa Marie Guerrero.

From the Telegram