April 2, 2003
Worried mom wants son home, not a medal By NORA K. WALLACE Marine Lance Cpl. Steve Romero had some brave parting words for his mother when he left for the war with Iraq. "Don't worry mom, I'll make you proud," he told Mary "Maria" Romero. The Santa Barbara woman said she's hopeful her response to her son will stay with him as he serves as a machine gunner somewhere in Iraq. "I don't need a medal," she responded, in words likely echoed by thousands of parents. "What I need is for you to come home. That's my medal." Lance Cpl. Romero, 22, was part of Port Hueneme's Marine Infantry Reserve when he was called to duty in February. The Santa Barbara High School graduate is now with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit in the weapons company of the 23rd Marines. An Eagle Scout, he was working as a security guard at La Cumbre Middle School before being called to duty. Ms. Romero is so worried about her son that she spends a lot of time at the home of her mother, Mary Lou Romero, who lives in Goleta. "I'm afraid they'll come knocking at my door," she said, referring to the military coming to tell her something's happened to her son. "They can't find me here." The family has not heard from Steve since March 11 -- before the war started. So they scan news reports, hoping for a glimpse of his face. "We're hoping to see him on television," said his sister, Lia. "Then we'll know he's OK. He said, 'Any chance I get, I'll go in front of the camera.' " Last Friday, they saw a Marine with Steve's unit on television, and received a newsletter days ago from his company that "they are OK, nothing serious has happened to them," she said. The family, she said, is opposed to the war. Until the battles began, they marched in the weekly peace rallies in Santa Barbara. "But when the war started, we decided it's not the time to do it anymore," explained Miss Romero, who works at Electro Optical Industries, Inc. The family now wears yellow ribbons of support, sends them in letters to Steve, and finds comfort in their faith. "We're all praying for peace," his mother said. "We want them all to come home. I know when I'm at work, I don't have to think about all this. I'm holding my breath that he's going to come home. I keep positive. Every moment, I'm always praying he'll come home. At work I pray, at home, I pray." An extremely close family, Lia and her brother have rarely been separated. Even though he was deployed for about a year helping with homeland security at Camp Pendleton, he visited home. "He's my sidekick," said Miss Romero, 24. "We always only had each other. My mom always told us, 'I may not be here later on, stick together.' We've always been really close. We take care of each other. He's a really good brother. He's like my kid. I take care of him." The separation is even harder, she said, because they are grieving for their grandfather, Miguel Romero, who died a year ago of stomach cancer. "It makes it hard for us," Miss Romero said of his death. "He told us he'd be our guardian angel. He was always a big influence on our lives. He taught us to be honorable, to be good to other people, to help your family. Family's number one." Ms. Romero, who works at St. Raphael's Catholic Church, said she is extremely proud of her son. "He's my son; he's wonderful," said Ms. Romero. "He says, 'I'm the best the Marines have to offer.' He's a character. He has a great sense of humor and enjoys life." Lance Cpl. Romero opted to go into the Marine reserves, so he would have the opportunity to explore civilian careers, his family said. "After he joined, I thought about it, that it's a difficult job," his sister said. "He's doing something to help his country. He has a lot of ambitions and dreams." The Marine has said he'd like to study real estate, and he also is interested in producing music. Lance Cpl. Romero's pride in the Marine Corps is evident in a letter he wrote in early March, before the war started. The note was written on the empty MRE -- Meals Ready to Eat -- package. "Tell my friends my company is the only Infantry Reserve Company to help out active duty in the war," he wrote. "Not sure if that's good, but we'll make history." |
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