John sorry to hear your bad news.I will pray for the young mans loved ones,may he rest in peace

MIKE LANSAW        

My sincere condolences to you and the Marine's family. It is always hard to lose though close to us.. I will be thinking of you and your loss.

Airborne

I thank all of you for your words of support, and I will pass them along to the family of Michael as well as my troops at drill this weekend.

It has been a rough couple of days, dealing with the loss of someone I had served with and respected was bad, but I have also had to deal with the calls, e-mails and all from my soldiers who served with him as well and needed to talk, vent, cry on a shoulder, etc. Im learning even more about what Im made of I guess, because I have to be the rock here for my soldiers.

Info about his death is still sketchey, just that it was in a firefight near Fallujah, here is all the paper has.

Borderland    Friday, July 9, 2004

Family awaits arrival of slain Marine today in El Paso Laura Cruz El Paso Times Torres Funeral plans Visitation for Lance Cpl. Michael Steven Torres will be from 4 to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, with a rosary at 7 p.m. Sunday, at Martin Funeral Home, 3839 Montana. Funeral Mass will be at 9 a.m. Monday at St. Patrick Cathedral, 1118 N. Mesa. Burial will follow at Fort Bliss National Cemetery. Impact Iraq: Special section describing war's effects The pain of losing a friend, a brother and an only son consumed all who were close to Lance Cpl. Michael Steven Torres, the 2002 Cathedral High School graduate who died Monday in Iraq. The 21-year-old lifelong El Pasoan died as a result of enemy action near Fallujah, Iraq, near the Anbar province. Funeral arrangements were set Thursday after family members were assured the body would arrive today. The Rev. Fabian A. Marquez, a longtime family friend and Torres' godfather, said he and several family members will meet Torres' body today at El Paso International Airport. "We hear the news about how families are told of a loved one being killed in Iraq and we unite with them ... show our support. But you never imagine that it will hit so close," Marquez said. "War has hit El Paso with the loss of Michael Steven. This is a pain that no one should experience." Marquez said he will recite a rosary at 7 p.m. Sunday at Martin Funeral Home, 3839 Montana, and support the family on Monday during the 9 a.m. funeral Mass, which will be conducted by Bishop Armando X. Ochoa at St. Patrick Cathedral. Torres will be buried at Fort Bliss National Cemetery. "Michael's death has been a terrible loss for the family, not only for them, but for the city of El Paso and the entire nation," Marquez said. "We all have faith that Michael has gone to a better place, and that is what gives us some comfort." Family members have declined interviews with news reporters. "The family is inconsolable. They're really not up to talking," Marquez said. "As days go by, it's going to be harder. Instead of receiving him with arms open and happy faces, they're receiving him with sad, long faces and heavy hearts." Torres left behind his mother, Rossana Esparza; his father, Michael Torres; a 15-year-old sister; and a fiancée. "It's a horrible situation. This boy was full of life," Marquez said. "He wanted to support his family. I know the family has been grateful for the display of support from the community." Torres was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force at Twentynine Palms, Calif., as a machine gunner. He went to Iraq in February. Spc. Gilbert Alfaro, a soldier in the Texas Army National Guard, said he had "the distinct pleasure of knowing the heroic young man while he was in the Texas State Guard." "He was a superb person who lived by many of the values taught in the U.S. Armed Forces," Alfaro said in an e-mail to the El Paso Times. "He is a hero, no doubt about it. His death is very sad news, and the world is a worse place without him." Torres, who enlisted in the Marine Corps on June 23, 2003, and attended recruit training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego, played tight end for Cathedral's football team. Cathedral's head football coach, David Portillo, said the football team is planning to dedicate this fall's football season to Torres. "It wasn't a hard decision to make, because of who Michael was," Portillo said. "I would like all my young players to act like him. He was a fine young man." Portillo said dedicating the season to Torres would also help remind his students how important his sacrifice was to the school and nation. Cathedral High Principal Sam Govea said the dedication will more than likely be acknowledged with a black patch on each football player's arm or a black sticker on their helmets displaying the number 81 -- Torres' jersey number. Govea said that because it is summer, the school isn't planning a memorial but instead plans to wait until the students return in the fall. "The time for us would be when everyone is here," he said.

"Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you,
Jesus Christ and the American Soldier.

One died for your soul; the other for your freedom."

I thank you all for your well wishes and prayers, and rest assured I passed them along to LCpl Torres' family.

I just went through the worst two days of my life, and if for nothing other than getting things off of my chest I will tell you, my brothers, about them.

Sunday morning I went to the armory for our regular drill, that afternoon at 1400 we were visited by a Texas Air Guard chaplain that I know, to have an informal memorial for Torres. He read some pertaniant scriptures and we all had a chance to speak of our memories of Torres.

Following Drill I changed into my B's and went to the funeral home for the Rosary. His mother asked me to accompany the USMC detail to the airport to pick up Michael, as his flight had been delayed. I politely asked the Marine NCOIC if this would be ok and was welcomed .

At the airport we were taken directly to the aircraft , where we met his father, an Air Force Col., he was escorting Michael home. We watched as the boxed-up casket was offloaded from the aircraft and loaded onto a baggage trailer to be delivered to the Herse for transport to the funeral home. At this time his father asked us to help him remove the box and drape the casket with the colors, so I was very honored to lay our Nations flag on Torres' casket and tell him "Welcome Home Marine".

Later just before the Rosary started two of his buddies arrived from 29 Palms. His Platoon Sgt and Squad leader, a very squared away Lance Corporal filling a Cpl slot and doing a hell of a job imho. I noted his Purple Heart and he told me "Yeah, Torres was the first to get to me when I got hit".

Today Was the Funeral Mass, followed by the Burial at the Ft.Bliss Cemetery. I had the privilage of presenting the State of Texas colors to his family. Now Im just trying to let the last several days events sink in.

Following the burial I had the chance, finally, to just sit & talk with his squad ldr. and he told me everything I needed to know about Michael  & the night he died.

Upon completing the school of the Infantry he reported to 3rd Bn 7th Rgt in 29 Palms. Two months later (Feb) they were in Kuwait prepping to relieve other units already there. At this time Torres was meritoriously promoted to LCpl. His sqd.ldr. told me Michael was his "Go To" guy, when something needed doing, it was Torres stepping up & geting it done. He assigned Torres as his RTO because he knew he could be counted on. Torres also manned the Ma Deuce while on mounted patrol and also ran one of the squads teams when dismoted. I have nothing but pride in this young man, who at the age of 17, I taught from square one. I knew he would be a fantastic soldier, and was not surprised that I was right.OH by the way, in the platoon they all refered to him as their "Guardian Angel" and called him "Tex".

Then I was told of Torres' death.

On the night of July 5, their 4 vehicle convoy had just returned from patrol. The word came that the main road needed to be swept for IED's  again, so his squad went out, with Torres manning the .50 on the third vehicle, an un-armored , but gunned (soft) hummer.  The two lead Hummers were armed & armored, as was the last. While making a 90 degree right turn on the road, two PRG rockets had been propped up on a stack of rocks and rigged with a remote control. The lead vehicles made the turn but the rockets were launched just as  the third was completing   it's  turn. One rocket zoomed off into the sky, but the other struck  the hummer just above the windshield,nicked the drivers k-pot and struck the weapons mount and Torres chest plate. Torres absorbed the majority of the blast and was killed instantly. Shrapnel killed two other marines, as well as wounding everyone else in the vehicle. I thank God Torres never felt pain. Had the rockets trajectory been 2 inches lower it would have struck the windshield, which might have absorbed much of the blast, only wounding the occupants. As his squad leader told me "the luckiest f&$@*ng shot in history". I am glad Michael was in the presence of such men when his life was taken.

I actually had to disagree with our company XO when he told our troops that Torres had "Given his life for us all" I said "NO SIR, I can assure you thet the Michael Torres I knew FOUGHT to keep his life right up till the end" He gave nothing.

I will  only add that based on the professionalism of the burrial detail as well as the Casualty Assistance NCOIC, my respect for the Corps is multiplying by a factor of 100's.

Again brothers, thank you.