Marine Lance Cpl Gutierrez was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, Calif. Lance Cpl. Gutierrez was shot at the Port of Umm Qasr in southern Iraq. The first US Marine killed in the war against Iraq was a former street child in Guatemala City and resident of Casa Alianza. According to Casa Alianza case files, Jose Antonio first entered Casa Alianza's programs in the mid 1980s as a result of the death of his parents. He was placed into Casa Alianza's residential program where he studied architecture at the "Escuela Tecnica de Ingenieria y Arquitectura" in Guatemala City. He studied through middle school with high grades and was considered a good student. After Jose Antonio left Casa Alianza's programs in 1992, he was living with his sister Graciela in a family in the Municipality of Chinautla, Guatemala. According to media reports, in 1997 Jose Antonio headed north from Guatemala to the United States where he tried to enter illegally and was detained by the Immigration and Naturalization Service. He was given asylum and referred to a foster family in southern California where he lived until joining the Marine Corps on March 25th, 2002. He was killed in Iraq less than one year later. Jose is buried at Los Cipreses Cemetery, Guatemala City, Guatemala. The memorial at Los Angeles National Cemetery (Section 9, Row N, Site 5), Los Angeles, California is a cenotaph.
He is buried here: Los Cipreses Cemetery, Guatemala City, Guatemala.∼Gutierrez View/Sign Guest Book
Age: 28
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Date of Death: 3/21/2003
Incident Location: Southern Iraq
Branch of Military: Marines
Rank: Lance Cpl.
Unit: 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Division
Unit's Base: Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Marine Lance Cpl. Jose Gutierrez was an orphan who grew up on the steets of war-torn Guatemala. As a youth, he traveled to the United States by train, foot and bus, seeking a new life. Gutierrez made it to Hollywood, Calif., where he found a temporary shelter at a homeless center. Social workers eventually placed him with foster parents, Nora and Marcelo Mosquera. He learned English, looked after the younger foster children, and enjoyed soccer and chess, according to the family. "He was just a good kid," recalled Robert Nobles, a teacher at North High in Torrance, Calif., where Gutierrez graduated in 2000. Partly to repay the United States, he became an infantry rifleman based at Camp Pendleton, Calif. "For him it was a question of honor," said his foster brother Max Mosquera. Gutierrez, 28, of Los Angeles, died March 21 in combat. He was awarded U.S. citizenship after his
He is buried here: Los Cipreses Cemetery, Guatemala City, Guatemala.∼Gutierrez View/Sign Guest Book
Age: 28
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Date of Death: 3/21/2003
Incident Location: Southern Iraq
Branch of Military: Marines
Rank: Lance Cpl.
Unit: 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Division
Unit's Base: Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Marine Lance Cpl. Jose Gutierrez was an orphan who grew up on the steets of war-torn Guatemala. As a youth, he traveled to the United States by train, foot and bus, seeking a new life. Gutierrez made it to Hollywood, Calif., where he found a temporary shelter at a homeless center. Social workers eventually placed him with foster parents, Nora and Marcelo Mosquera. He learned English, looked after the younger foster children, and enjoyed soccer and chess, according to the family. "He was just a good kid," recalled Robert Nobles, a teacher at North High in Torrance, Calif., where Gutierrez graduated in 2000. Partly to repay the United States, he became an infantry rifleman based at Camp Pendleton, Calif. "For him it was a question of honor," said his foster brother Max Mosquera. Gutierrez, 28, of Los Angeles, died March 21 in combat. He was awarded U.S. citizenship after his
Marine Lance Cpl Gutierrez was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, Calif. Lance Cpl. Gutierrez was shot at the Port of Umm Qasr in southern Iraq. The first US Marine killed in the war against Iraq was a former street child in Guatemala City and resident of Casa Alianza. According to Casa Alianza case files, Jose Antonio first entered Casa Alianza's programs in the mid 1980s as a result of the death of his parents. He was placed into Casa Alianza's residential program where he studied architecture at the "Escuela Tecnica de Ingenieria y Arquitectura" in Guatemala City. He studied through middle school with high grades and was considered a good student. After Jose Antonio left Casa Alianza's programs in 1992, he was living with his sister Graciela in a family in the Municipality of Chinautla, Guatemala. According to media reports, in 1997 Jose Antonio headed north from Guatemala to the United States where he tried to enter illegally and was detained by the Immigration and Naturalization Service. He was given asylum and referred to a foster family in southern California where he lived until joining the Marine Corps on March 25th, 2002. He was killed in Iraq less than one year later. Jose is buried at Los Cipreses Cemetery, Guatemala City, Guatemala. The memorial at Los Angeles National Cemetery (Section 9, Row N, Site 5), Los Angeles, California is a cenotaph.
He is buried here: Los Cipreses Cemetery, Guatemala City, Guatemala.∼Gutierrez View/Sign Guest Book
Age: 28
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Date of Death: 3/21/2003
Incident Location: Southern Iraq
Branch of Military: Marines
Rank: Lance Cpl.
Unit: 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Division
Unit's Base: Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Marine Lance Cpl. Jose Gutierrez was an orphan who grew up on the steets of war-torn Guatemala. As a youth, he traveled to the United States by train, foot and bus, seeking a new life. Gutierrez made it to Hollywood, Calif., where he found a temporary shelter at a homeless center. Social workers eventually placed him with foster parents, Nora and Marcelo Mosquera. He learned English, looked after the younger foster children, and enjoyed soccer and chess, according to the family. "He was just a good kid," recalled Robert Nobles, a teacher at North High in Torrance, Calif., where Gutierrez graduated in 2000. Partly to repay the United States, he became an infantry rifleman based at Camp Pendleton, Calif. "For him it was a question of honor," said his foster brother Max Mosquera. Gutierrez, 28, of Los Angeles, died March 21 in combat. He was awarded U.S. citizenship after his
He is buried here: Los Cipreses Cemetery, Guatemala City, Guatemala.∼Gutierrez View/Sign Guest Book
Age: 28
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Date of Death: 3/21/2003
Incident Location: Southern Iraq
Branch of Military: Marines
Rank: Lance Cpl.
Unit: 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Division
Unit's Base: Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Marine Lance Cpl. Jose Gutierrez was an orphan who grew up on the steets of war-torn Guatemala. As a youth, he traveled to the United States by train, foot and bus, seeking a new life. Gutierrez made it to Hollywood, Calif., where he found a temporary shelter at a homeless center. Social workers eventually placed him with foster parents, Nora and Marcelo Mosquera. He learned English, looked after the younger foster children, and enjoyed soccer and chess, according to the family. "He was just a good kid," recalled Robert Nobles, a teacher at North High in Torrance, Calif., where Gutierrez graduated in 2000. Partly to repay the United States, he became an infantry rifleman based at Camp Pendleton, Calif. "For him it was a question of honor," said his foster brother Max Mosquera. Gutierrez, 28, of Los Angeles, died March 21 in combat. He was awarded U.S. citizenship after his
Inscription
L CPL US MARINE CORPS
Loving Son Brother Uncle
Dedicated American Hero
Gravesite Details
OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM
