Please join us tonight in paying tribute to Spc. Marcos A. Cintron, 32, of Orlando, Fla., who died on June 16 at a medical facility in Boston, Mass., of wounds suffered June 6 at Baghdad, Iraq, when insurgents attacked his unit with indirect fire. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 7th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.
http://www.defense.gov/...
He was the calm in the storm
Daddy kept us warm
(and) What will I do when he's gone
How will I carry on
Yes I know when it's his time to go
That I'll have to grow up too
Oh can't I stay right here
and be daddy's little girl
So how did the years go so fast
Or did we just lose track
So now we can't waste any time
I'll make each moment mine
Yes I know when it's his time to go...
The time keeps moving
Life keeps passing
There's still so much to say
But I will go on
I will be strong
I will find my way
When I look in the face of the child
I see you in her eyes
And we're all so much the same
We'll carry on your name
Yes I know when that you have to go
and I have to grow up too
Oh can't I stay right here and be daddy's little girl
Oh can't I stay right here and be daddy's little girl
- Karla Bonoff
Marcos Cintron
The family of a soldier who was injured in Iraq and rushed to Boston for emergency care is clinging to memories of the beloved son and father after he unsuccessfully fought for his life for four days in a Hub hospital. Army Specialist Marcos A. Cintron, 32, of Orlando, Fla., died Thursday at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he was in a coma as a result of wounds suffered in a June 6 attack in Baghdad, according to his family and the Department of Defense. “He wasn’t conscious, but I know that he knew that his family were there and that we were struggling for him,” said Cintron’s father, Wilfrido Cintron, 53, who arrived in Boston from Puerto Rico on Wednesday. “The family, we remember him as happy. We remember him as a hero.” Marcos Cintron’s two daughters, 11 and 13, recalled a father who took them surfing and horseback riding and was “the best dad.”
Cintron’s cousin, Olga Melendez, 64, who lives in Lawrence, said he wanted to serve his country from a young age. “Everyone is so proud of him. Ever since he was a little kid he wanted to be a soldier,” she said. “He was proud of his country.” Cintron suffered shrapnel injuries and heavy burns when insurgents attacked his unit with indirect fire, according to the military and his family. He was flown to Germany for treatment. He was aboard a military transport plane to Texas when the air pressure caused his condition to deteriorate, family said. The plane was diverted to Boston.
Wilfrido Cintron said his son called him three days before they learned he was hurt, concerned about his safety. “He told me, ‘Papa, we are in a dangerous place,’ ” Wilfrido Cintron said. Cintron joined the Army 18 months ago and was in Iraq for eight months, his father said. He visited his family and celebrated the birthdays of his daughters in Puerto Rico while on leave in February. One of six siblings, Cintron grew up in Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico, where he was a Boy Scout. “Ever since he was little, he liked the Army,” Wilfrido Cintron said. “This is what he wanted to do.”
Please join us in prayer for Marcos Cintron, and those who loved him.
What is excellent,
as God lives, is permanent.
Hearts turn to dust,
hearts love remains.
Hearts love will meet the again.
- Emerson
About "I Got the News Today" (IGTNT)
I Got the News Today is a diary series intended to honor service members who have died as a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; its title is a reminder that almost every day a military family gets the terrible news about a loved one. Diaries about the fallen usually appear two days after their names are officially released, which allows time for the IGTNT team to find and tell their stories. The series, which was begun by i dunno, is maintained by Sandy on Signal, monkeybiz, noweasels, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, twilight falling, joyful, roses, SisTwo, a girl in MI, Spam Nunn, JeNoCo, Janos Nation, True Blue Majority, Proud Mom and Grandma, Wide Awake in Kentucky, CalNM and Maggie Jean.
Please bear in mind that these diaries are read by friends and family of the service members chronicled here. May all of our remembrances be full of compassion rather than politics.
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