50cal

Two families

Funeral for Birdsprings soldier killed in Iraq unites military, blood families

By Cindy Yurth
Navajo Times
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BIRDSPRINGS, Ariz., May 31, 2007
Army Sgt. Christopher Gonzalez brought a bit of Dixie home with him when he was laid to rest last Friday.
A pastor from Fort Benning, Ga., where Gonzalez was based, presided at his memorial service.
An African-American comrade-at-arms wailed a gospel song a cappella, with the kind of flourishes you can only hear at a Baptist church on the far side of the Mason-Dixon line.
You could almost smell the honeysuckle as a parade of bilag‡anas drawled eulogies to the fallen soldier, praising his courage, fun-loving nature and devotion to family, God and country.
It seemed thousands of miles away from this dusty hilltop with a view of the domed Birdsprings Chapter House. And it was.
The eighth Navajo to die in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan had specified in his will that he wanted Brad Hicks, his pastor at Fort Benning, to preside at his funeral.
Hicks conducted an entire service in Georgia, which was videotaped and sent to Birdsprings, where it was played on two large-screen TVs for the crowd of about 500 who came to honor Gonzalez in his hometown.
The 25-year-old Gonzalez may have been, as many of his friends described him, a happy-go-lucky guy. But not so happy-go-lucky he didn't anticipate his own death.
He had planned every detail of the service, down to the soundtrack accompanying a 25-minute slide show of his life that followed the videotaped memorial - an odd juxtaposition of belligerent Toby Keith tunes and sentimental love songs for his wife and son.
Two families
Between the sound distortion of the speakers and the honeyed accents of the Georgians, it was hard to understand the eulogies spoken 3,000 miles away.
But one thing was clear: This young man had two families - the Navajos gathered under the revival tent at the Birdsprings Full Gospel Church, and the white folks reminiscing about him on their Virginia Creeper-covered verandahs.
That's the way it is when you're in the military, explained Marie Lincoln of Seba Dalkai, Ariz., whose son served in Operation Desert Storm.
"Once you put on that uniform, you're a family with all the other men and women in uniform," Lincoln said. "I don't care whether you're in the Army, Navy, Air Force or Marines. We're all family. That's why I came to this funeral."
Her friend Janet Nez, whose son Marine Sgt. Eric Nez had just returned home from Iraq the day before, agreed.
"It's very emotional for me, because my son came home safely and here this lady's son didn't," she said. "Only mothers of soldiers know what it's like to lie awake at night wondering what's happening to him, and then all of a sudden, at one o'clock in the morning, he'll call and say, 'Hi Mom!' and you're all right again. You take a piece of his clothing and just hold it against you and pray."
According to Hicks, Gonzalez was cut down in enemy fire when his unit with the 3rd Infantry Division came under attack May 14. He had just re-enlisted in March and was serving his third tour of duty in Iraq.
He leaves a wife, Tonita, and a son, Brennan Yavencito Neil Gonzalez, 6, along with his parents, Judy Nez and Hector Gonzalez, and six brothers and sisters. Christopher Gonzalez's second son, Joey, died in 2005 of a congenital illness.
Friends and family smiled as Hicks recounted some of Gonzalez' antics, including conspiring with Brennan to throw a bucket of cold water over Tonita while she was in the shower.
"If there was some fun going on, he made sure he was in on it," Hicks said on the video, "and if there wasn't any fun going on, he made sure he made some."
But his journal, excerpts from which were read by his friend Brenda Long at the Birdsprings service, revealed a serious young man struggling with some existential questions.
"Right now I'm confused about my whole purpose," Gonzalez had written some months before his death. "I just want to know what God's plan is for me."
Missing home
In another entry, Gonzalez wrote about his family. "I miss them so much," he penned. "I never want to take them for granted."
Either Gonzalez didn't realize how much danger he was in or didn't want to worry Tonita, for in an e-mail to her the day before he fell, he described his life in Iraq as "same-old, same-old."
Rather than dwelling on his situation, he congratulated her for finally going to the dentist and clearing up a tooth problem, and ordered her to take as much money as she wanted out of the bank account to buy herself something nice for Mother's Day.
In addition to Gonzalez himself through his writings, other Navajos spoke at the Birdsprings funeral.
T.C. Tso, representing the Navajo Nation president's office, presented the family with a plaque of appreciation designed by President Joe Shirley Jr. himself.
And Zane James, representing Speaker Lawrence T. Morgan, reminded the crowd to pray for "everyone who has died to strengthen our individual freedom."
The Gonzalezes also received plaques from the Arizona Department of Veterans Services and the Arizona Patriot Guard Riders, a motorcycle club dedicated to supporting veterans and their families.
The Arizona National Guard presented the family with Gonzalez's posthumously awarded medals: the War on Terrorism Medal, the Iraqi Campaign Medal, the Combat Infantry Badge, the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.
The famed Tuba City High School Junior ROTC provided traffic control, and three chapters - Leupp, Birdsprings and Tolani Lake - combined to supply refreshments and other amenities.
Gonzalez's large extended family, seated front and center at the service, struggled to maintain composure as Tonita stoically fixed her gaze straight ahead. Gonzalez's 23-year-old brother, Evander Lee, summed up their feelings:
"We just miss him, but we know he's in a better place," Lee said. "He'll always be looking over us. We'll always have him in our hearts."


Rest in Peace Soldier, Semper Fi.....
This gentleman lived only 30 minutes from me...see ya later bro, catch you at the gates of St. Peter....

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"Sweat dries, blood clots, bones heal. Suck it up. Be a Marine"

NorthofAda

Sad to lose such a young one. It's beautiful, though, to see how many folks really loved him and respected him. Some folks live a lifetime and never generate that kind of love and respect. RIP...

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Ndnsoldierboy

Semper Fi Bro...


...See You on the High Ground.

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Annie Fawn

Love and prayers for his family.

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Courage is just fear that has said it's prayers.

Mud_Woman

Thats so sad. I'll pray for the family.

Hearing news like this makes me worry about my sister, neice, and brothers. I feel like crying, he could have been my brother, or your brother. Its hard to imagin losing someone in this war. We all have to be strong and keep praying that our warriors come home.

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eap7

I'm so sad to hear about his passing. I will be keeping his family in my prayers. One of my high school classmates was a Marine killed in Iraq in '04. I pray all the soldiers stay safe and come home soon so no other families and communities will have to go through this.