April 11, 2003
Sleepless nights for Lopez familyr By NORA K. WALLACE Armando Jr. is the artist, interested in medieval drawing and hoping to attend art school. Older brother Patrick is the musician, a bass player who married a year ago. The Goleta young men -- sons of Nancy and Armando Lopez Sr. -- are now fighting in Iraq as members of the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marine Reserve. On Tuesday night, their parents saw images of the battalion on television, said to be patrolling the streets of Baghdad in an attempt to draw fire and ferret out enemy soldiers. The thought of their sons as targets meant a sleepless night for their parents. "This is the hardest thing I've been through," Mrs. Lopez admitted. "It's been a huge struggle. The fear, wondering if you'll get that phone call. You imagine all kinds of stuff. There's intense fear. Very high anxiety. It's like you're holding your breath. And you don't want to ever feel that kind of pain." In some ways, Mrs. Lopez is comforted by the fact that her sons joined the Marines. "All the Marines, they're all brothers," she explained. "They'd die for the person next to them. They're family. I know they're looking out for each other." The military is a career Armando wanted to pursue since he was in the fourth grade. Four months after he finished boot camp, his brother followed him into the service. Now both are lance corporals. Patrick, 27, is an assaultman and fires a Javelin anti-tank rocket -- which his father proudly notes is a product of his employer, Raytheon. Armando Jr., 22, is a machine gunner. The family has two other children, Matthew, 18, a senior at Dos Pueblos, and Rachel, 16, a junior. "We worry," Matthew admitted. "But we know they're pretty well trained. Marines are best of the best."
The soldiers, both San Marcos High School graduates, joined the Reserve three years ago, and the family isn't sure if Patrick and Armando Jr. will opt to re-enlist. Before the war started, Armando Jr. was accepted to a Southern California art school, but had to postpone his enrollment after he was called up. The brothers are in their second year of activation, having already been assigned out of Camp Pendleton for a year to help with homeland security. They left for Kuwait in February. "For me, as a mother, no, I don't want them in (the military)," said Mrs. Lopez, 48. "At the same time, I want them to do what they want to do." Both young men, their parents said, wanted the challenge -- physical and mental -- that military life would offer. They overcame obstacles and fears during rigorous training, and their parents saw the difference when they came home after boot camp. "When they came back home and saw civilian life, it seems so easy," Mrs. Lopez said. "They're not intimidated by anything, after being through what they've been through." Mr. Lopez, 48, said the family is grateful the boys received the training they did in preparation for what they're facing in Iraq. "Nobody's for war," Mr. Lopez said. "But we support what our commander in chief is doing. Nobody likes war. But Saddam is an evil man." |
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