Van Nuys resident David Jimenez Almazan dies in Iraq
Sgt. David Jimenez Almazan of Van Nuys, a combat medic, was killed Aug. 27 in the Iraqi city of Hit, northeast of Ramadi in the so-called Sunni Triangle. He was 27 years old.
Here's the official Department of Defense press release:
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. David J. Almazan, 27, of Van Nuys, Calif., died on Aug 27, in Hit, Iraq, of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat operations. Almazan was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Friedberg, Germany.
But there's more to the story. The military newspaper Stars and Stripes reported on Nov. 16 that Almazan was given posthumous citizenship for his sacrifice (picture above right also from S&S) (another link to same story here):
FRANKFURT, Germany — Clutching a framed photograph of her smiling husband and choking back tears, Salina Jimenez accepted a naturalization certificate Tuesday.
But the certificate wasn’t hers.
It belonged to her husband, Sgt. David Jimenez Almazan, a 27-year-old combat medic, who died Aug. 27 in a roadside blast in Iraq’s Anbar province.
“This is something we were both looking forward to,� said the 26-year-old Jimenez as she held the certificate after a naturalization ceremony Tuesday at the U.S. Consulate in Frankfurt.
“His American dream was to give back to the country that gave him so much freedom.�
It goes without saying that he gave all he could.
...
Almazan had deeper U.S. roots. He moved to California from Mexico when he was 11, and spent most of his life in the San Fernando Valley. But it wasn’t until about the time he enlisted that he began to look into how to become a U.S. citizen, Jimenez said. “In his heart, he always was one.�
Almazan turned in the paperwork for his citizenship months ago, but his death left the process in limbo. It was up to his wife to push it to its end. Doing so was a no-brainer.
“I had to do it,� she said.
She smiled as she clasped her husband’s photograph and naturalization certificate in front of her.
“We had a long life ahead of us, which I’m looking forward to spending in his name and his honor.�
The L.A. Times' Jeffrey Rabin reported Oct. 15 on Almazan's death:
Almazan joined the Army in 2002 because "he wanted to make a difference for himself and for other people," his wife said.
The Van Nuys resident re-enlisted last spring for another four years with the goal of becoming a physician's assistant.
When he was sent to Iraq, Almazan, an immigrant born in Guadalajara, was working on his application to become an American citizen. "He is now officially one as of the day of his death," his wife said.
Almazan came to the U.S. with his mother and two sisters when he was 11, joining his father, who was already in this country.
Growing up in the San Fernando Valley, he was known as David Jimenez, reflecting his father's last name. In Mexico, his mother's maiden name, Almazan, was listed last on his birth certificate, a common practice there.
Jose Martinez, a childhood friend, said they would spend their summers together in the Valley. "We made a lot with a little. We had a lot of fun with the little money we had," he said. "He kept me out of a lot of trouble…. He kept me grounded."
Almazan graduated from Van Nuys High School in 1997. He attended Los Angeles Valley College and worked at Costco in Van Nuys.
Almazan, who also served in Afghanistan, was a big soccer fan and loved salsa dancing.
The Marine Corps News reported on Almazan Aug. 31:
As one of the unit’s medics, Almazan frequently took time to ensure the men who were “fighting the fight� were healthy, and taken care of. His presence added comfort to fellow soldiers while they conducted counterinsurgency operations throughout the city, according to fellow soldiers, where roadside bombs, as well as small-arms fire and indirect fire attacks against U.S. and Iraqi military forces are frequent.
“He made the soldiers feel that much more at ease,� said 1st Lt. Joshua Zeldin, Almazan’s medical platoon leader. “I’m not just talking about the soldiers he served with on the ground, but also the medics he took the time to train.
He is survived by his wife Salina, father David, mother Olivia, and sisters Mayra and Mariana, the Times reported.
David Almazan on Washington Post's Faces of the Fallen (where I found the picture at top left).
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