A Story of Sacrifice

A North Carolina based Navy Corpsman was killed in Iraq, just 7 days after he arrived there. The story is reprinted below for you convenience.

EL PASO, Texas — A North Carolina-based Navy corpsman told his brother that if he died in Iraq, he wanted his two children to know he served so they could grow up free and without fear.
Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Gilbert Minjares Jr., 31, died Wednesday - seven days after he reached Iraq - in a helicopter crash in Anbar province, the Department of Defense said Friday. Six others also died in the crash, which is under investigation.
"He gave me all his clothes and stuff, like he knew what was going to happen," said Jose Minjares, Gilbert's brother. "He told me, 'If anything happens, I want you to let my kids know I did it for them.'"
Minjares was assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 14, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing in Cherry Point, North Carolina His wife, 2-year-old son and 4-week-old baby live in North Carolina, said Eddie Pedregon, the seaman's cousin.
"He always wanted to give to others before he gave to himself," Pedregon said. "His dream was to save Marines."
A corpsman is the Marines' equivalent of an Army medic. Gilbert Minjares also worked as a recruiter in El Paso, Jose Minjares said.
Minjares played fullback and quarterback at Hanks High School in El Paso. He joined the Navy about a month after graduating in 1994, his brother said.
The seaman was happy-go-lucky, loved his family and his home and had no doubts about his service or heading to Iraq, his brother said.
"He said he'd rather go fight over there than have to fight (terrorism) over here," the brother said. "He was a brave, brave man."