RIO GRANDE VALLEY - The Valley is remembering our two latest soldiers killed in action. CHANNEL 5 NEWS meet a man who has visited every Valley family that has lost a service member.
Felix Rodriguez visited more than 30 families from here to Falfurrias at their most difficult time. He says it's not easy, but he does it because he believes it is his duty.
The Vietnam veteran sees them through the pain of losing a service member. Rodriguez says, "It's a roller coaster. Then it starts all over. It's a roller coaster of emotions."
Rodriguez also works for Hidalgo County's Veteran Services Office, but this isn't just a job to him. Rodriguez says, "It's really not a job. It's a passion. We want to be there for them as veterans."
Rodriguez knows the toll of combat. It was Vietnam 1971, when a rocket blew up in a bunker where he and a fellow soldier were taking cover. Rodriguez says, "Floyd Youngblood suffered a really bad wound to his arm, chest, and stomach. I got hit in the shin, my right shin bone. It knocked me about ten feet and banged my face against the wall. We were scared. I was scared, so I can relate to what these young men are going through in Iraq and Afghanistan."
He says visiting the homes of the Valley's fallen servicemen, he sees a common thread - young men from hard-working families looking for a better life with a deep pride in serving the country.
Rodriguez says, "The Rio Grande Valley has paid a heavy price in this war in Iraq and Afghanistan."
The fallen soldiers remind him of himself, so he goes to each home to offer their families what comfort he can.
Sgt. Fernando De La Rosa of Alamo was the most recent Valley soldier killed in action. There's no word yet on when his body will be back in the Valley. Staff Sgt. Bradley Espinoza of Alton was killed last week. Funeral services for him are set for Thursday.
