Daniel Gomez remembered by family

Army Spc. Daniel Enrique Gomez, 21, a combat medic killed in Iraq on July 18, was a responsible, mature "good kid" who adored his grandmother's cooking.

Gomez died in Adhamiyah, Iraq, after the vehicle he and three others were riding in was attacked by "enemy forces using an improvised explosive device and small-arms fire," the Defense Department said.

Born in San Antonio, where his father worked at Kelly AFB, Gomez grew up in Natalia, attending school there until the sixth grade.

"My brother and his wife bought property in Natalia and lived there until they went to Georgia," said Refugia Leal of Port Isabel. She is the sister of Juan Gomez, father of Daniel Gomez.

When Kelly AFB closed, the Gomez family moved to Warner Robins, Ga.

At Warner Robins High School, Gomez played football and was a JROTC corps commander.

Attending Texas A&M University on an ROTC scholarship, he was a member of the Corps of Cadets. He left A&M after one year, returned to Georgia and attended Georgia Military College, a liberal arts junior college.

Gomez enlisted in the Army in 2005.

Leal said her nephew had been in Iraq since November.

"Danny came home to see his parents in early June. When his leave ended, he returned to Iraq," she said.

Leal said her nephew was a happy young man who loved the cooking of his paternal grandmother Enriqueta Gomez.

"He was a good kid; the viejitos in Laguna Heights loved him," she said. "Danny used to come see his grandma and he would tell all his friends that her cooking was good."

Laguna Heights is a small community near Port Isabel.

A flag-raising ceremony was held outside Enriqueta Gomez's home in Laguna Heights on Friday night, with the young soldier's parents and siblings in attendance.

Gomez's decorations include the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.

From the Express News

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Daniel E. Gomez dies 'of wounds sustained when his vehicle was attacked by enemy forces using an IED and small arms fire'