Victor Toledo Pulido remembered

Victor Toledo Pulido was born in Mexico but fighting for the country he grew up in, so his family says it is only fitting he be buried as a U.S. citizen.

A poster of pictures chronicling Victor Toledo Pulido's life greeted family and friends as they gathered to remember him. A proud soldier and father to one year old Isak.

Pulido grew up in Kings County, and had only been Iraq for two months when he was killed May 23rd.

His mother told Action News earlier this week Pulido joined the army to become more independent, and in his phone calls home from Iraq, he always told her not to worry.

His mother still struggles to understand why America is at war with Iraq. His family says Pulido was fighting as a legal resident of the United States, but they've been told he will be buried as a citizen.

Jim McGee, Victor's brother-in-law, "he offered his life and his life was taken in defense of this nation. I think it's only appropriate he be a citizen. How much more can a person give?"

Pulido's father and brother received visas to travel from Mexico to California for his funeral. And as Pulido's family grieves, other soldiers and their families are in their thoughts. "The grief this family is experiencing, we can just imagine the grief other families are experiencing" says McGee.

From KSFN 30

Related Link:
Victor H. Toledo Pulido dies of 'wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle'