PFC DOMINGO
ARROYO
En Hosp de Caguas, en marzo 7, 1971,
hice el parto de un bebe que nació bien delicado. No creo q pesaba más de 2 o 3
libras.
Su abuelito venia TODOS los días de un campo y me preguntaba "Se
va dar ese nene? Y yo le decía q tuviera fe. Luchamos cuidándolo y alimentándolo
y él bebe sobrevivió...
Eventualmente
él bebe se dio de alta y su mama, Ramonita, me lo traía frecuentemente a que
viera como se desarrollaba y lo bien que estaba. Daba sus primeros pasitos en
unos mahoncitos que le hacían parecer un hombrecito pequeño.
Un día Ramonita me dejo de visitar y deje de ver al
bebe. Preguntando por ella, alguien me dijo que se había ido a vivir a algún
estado en US.... No volví mas nunca a ver él bebe milagro... ...
Pasados muchos años, en restaurant de Mayagüez, se acerca un hombre con
un muchacho grande al lado. Me dice que era el esposo de Ramonita y me presenta
a su hijo que lo acompañaba...Me da mucha alegría de ver lo bien que esta, y le
recuerdo lo malito que había estado......
El hombre me corrigió... Y me dijo, No doctora este es mi otro hijo....
El que usted salvo, Domingo Arroyo, se hizo piloto de helicópteros en el ejército,
y murió en Somalia llevando alimentos a gente que se morían allí de hambre.
.......
Nunca olvide a ese bebe q lucho por su vida para perderla luchando por
la paz y por ayudar a indefensos. De ese incidente en Somalia se hizo la película
"Black Hawk Down" donde me dicen aparece actor como Domingo. Los arrastraron
por las calles. No he tenido la valentía de verla.
PFC DOMINGO ARROYO (Wikipedia)
Arroyo was born in Caguas, Puerto Rico. His family moved
to mainland United States June 15,
1984, in search of a better way of life. They moved to the city of Elizabeth, New Jersey, where Arroyo
received his primary and secondary educations. In his senior year at Elizabeth
High School, he enlisted as a "poolee".[1] Even though he graduated with
good grades from high school and his family was keen for him to attend college,
he was unable to do so because of his family's difficult economic situation.[2]
MILITARY SERVICE
In 1989, Arroyo joined the United States
Marine Corps and was sent to Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in South Carolina where he received recruit
training. Upon the completion of recruit training, he was deployed with his
unit to the Persian Gulf for Operation Desert Storm. After finishing
his tour of duty, he was reassigned and sent back to the United States. Arroyo
had plans of attending college upon his military discharge with the benefits of
the GI Bill.
SOMALI CIVIL WAR
With the outbreak of the Somali Civil War, Arroyo, a radio wireman, was sent
to Somalia in the relief effort code
named Operation Restore Hope with
the 3rd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division. On January 12, 1993, he was part of a patrol in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, that was
ambushed by Somali gunmen.
PFC Domingo Arroyo died from gunshot
wounds received in the attack, thus becoming the first of forty four American soldiers and Marines that would
die during the Somali Civil War. He was buried in the Puerto Rico
National Cemetery located in the city of Bayamon, Puerto Rico with full military honors.
UNITED STATES SENATE
On February 17, 1993, Senator William
Warren "Bill" Bradley and the United States Senate paid
tribute to PFC Domingo Arroyo Jr.:
The Passing of Private First Class
Domingo Arroyo Jr. of Elizabeth, NJ (Senate – February 17, 1993)
(Page: S1691)
Mr. President, on January 20, 1993, Pfc. Domingo Arroyo
Jr. of Elizabeth, NJ, became the first United States soldier to be killed in
the Somali relief effort. Private Arroyo, who expected to be discharged shortly
from the Marines after 4 years of active duty that included Operation Desert
Storm, was part of a patrol that was ambushed by Somali gunmen.
Domingo was born in Puerto Rico. Living in New Jersey most
of his life, he came from a close-knit family and was liked and respected by
his teachers, friends, and neighbors. The reasons he gave for joining the
Marines were moral and selfless. He wanted to help others, he wanted a college
education in order to better himself, and he wanted to provide his mother with
more desirable living conditions.
A true American, Domingo gave his life in another country,
protecting its destitute, defenseless people. In his dedication to his country,
to his family, and to his high ideals, he represents the best of our Nation's
youth. I mourn his loss. Domingo will be remembered as a hero and honored for
his selfless bravery.
At this very sad time, Mr. President, I ask my colleagues to
join me in expressing our deepest sympathy to the family of Domingo Arroyo Jr.[5]
The men of the 1st Marine Division honored his memory by
naming their camp "Camp Arroyo" in Somalia and a beach which is
several hundred yards southeast of the Mogadishu Airport "Arroyo
Beach". His name is inscribed in "El Monumento de la
Recordación" (Monument of Remembrance), dedicated to Puerto Rico's fallen
soldiers and situated in front of the Capitol Building in San Juan, Puerto Rico.[6]
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