Hero's burial for FilAm casualty of Iraq war

US Army Corporal Mark Ryan Climaco Caguioa would have turned 22 years old today, June 1. tomorrow, he be interred a hero at the San Francisco National Cemetery. He lost both his legs and left arm on May 4 when an improvised explosive devise hit him in an attack south of Baghdad. Such homemade bombs are said to be the No. 1 killer of US troops in Iraq. The son of Filipino immigrants, Caguioa died on May 24 at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, after allegedly receiving a wrong blood transfusion in Iraq while being treated for severe wounds he suffered from the May 4 injuries. Nate Ramirez, a medical worker at the Bethesda center, said that, while being treated in Iraq, Caguioa had received six units of type O+ blood. He was a B+. Bush condoles with family In a rare honor requested by President George W. Bush, Caguioa will be remembered with a headstone at Arlington National Cemetery - the final resting place of America's heroes - while his remains are interred at San Francisco National Cemetery. The Presidio site is a soldier's cemetery, also steeped in military history. "The president gave his condolences and asked if we needed anything," said Caguioa’s grandfather, Arthur Climaco who resides in Modesto, California. The elder Climaco said Mark Ryan is not at all related to his namesake - current top Philippine basketball player Mark Caguioa, according to Eric Lachica, executive director of the American Coalition for Filipino Veterans, Inc. After the memorial service on May 26 at the Bethesda hospital, his mother, Maria Lourdes Climaco, was asked if she had any regrets? "Mark found his calling, he loved to be a soldier. I wasn't angry with Bush. It was the choice of my son [to serve]. [However,] I did not approve of the Iraq war," she replied. Sushi chef Caguioa was raised in Stockton, California. He graduated from Bear Creek High School in 2002 and joined the U.S. Army in 2005 while at San Joaquin Delta College. Serving with the Second Brigade, First Cavalry Division, Caguioa was deployed in October 2006 for a 14-month tour. He was the eldest of four siblings. He worked as a sushi chef at Shomi, a north Stockton restaurant, before enlisting in 2005. The family will offer a special mass at 10 a.m. Saturday in the chapel of Lodi Funeral Home. The interment rites will start at 2 p.m. at the San Francisco National Cemetery A reception will follow at the Presidio Golf Course & Clubhouse at 300 Finley Rd. @ Arguello Gate. The family has created a website to inform friends and family on viewing and funeral schedules. A stream of visitors leaves messages at the site for the fallen soldier and his loved ones. Tunay na bayani “Mark Ryan is a ‘tunay na bayani’. He volunteered to risk his life in defense of country, so that you and I and the rest of freedom loving and democratic nations can enjoy and preserve their rights to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness," said Freddie Garcia of Silicon Valley in California. “Mark Ryan was funny, caring, selfless, honest, generous and a whole host of other amazing things and those who have met him would agree," a message from the family said. “On May 4, 2007, we received a call informing us Mark had been injured. We were told his vehicle was caught in an IED explosion while on patrol and was in critical condition. Our family was devastated. He was transferred to Germany from south Baghdad and finally to the States over the next week. Mark was treated by some of the best, if not THE best doctors at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Although his doctors tried their very best, his injuries were far too great. On Thursday afternoon, May 24, 2007 Mark succumbed to his wounds. He was 21 years old. WE MISS YOU, MARKY!" the announcement at the site said. Bush met with Caguioa’s family, including his stepfather Roger Rodrigo, and half-brother, Sean Rodrigo, at his office at the Bethesda Naval Medical Center on May 25, the day after Mark Ryan died. Caguioa was reported to be the 22nd member of the US military with ties to San Joaquin County and the 10th from Stockton, California to die in the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was the second soldier from Stockton to die within a week. On May 17, Army Pfc. Victor Michael Fontanilla, 23, was killed, also from an improvised explosive device. He, too, was raised in Stockton with roots in the Northern Mariana Islands. Engaged to be married The family said it has been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support and sympathy from the Filipino-American community and from the Philippines. "He was very brave, and joining the U.S. Army was his own decision," the elder Climaco described his grandson. "He never relented." Caguioa was assigned to the 2nd Brigade, First Cavalry at Fort Hood, Texas where he met 19-year-old Megan McCommas of Florence, Texas, at a dance. They were engaged to be married. “It’s been hard for me since you've been gone! I know I'll miss you and will always love you no matter what. I hope you’re watching down on us from heaven and wishing for the best for everyone. I love you!" said his fiancée. Botched procedure People familiar with the Filipino American's case expressed concern that military medical personnel are becoming more prone to mistakes because of the strain of dealing with mounting casualties in Iraq They also expressed worry that this situation - along with the botched transfusion - could be covered up. Their concerns follow several widely publicized cases of government misinformation regarding soldiers serving in Afghanistan and Iraq, notably the cases of Cpl. Pat Tillman and Pvt. Jessica Lynch. "They're getting sloppy," one medical worker said. "They're getting tired." He added that "the whole system" is under strain because there are "so many casualties." The cases of Tillman and Lynch were subjects of congressional hearings in April. Originally portraying Tillman's death as a result of enemy fire in Afghanistan, military officials initially ordered Tillman's peers not to inform his family that he had actually died in friendly fire. Tillman's family did not receive the true story about their son's death until after an awards ceremony celebrating the former NFL star and Army Ranger. Officials also put out an erroneous story of Lynch's heroism when her convoy was attacked in the early days of the war in Iraq. When Lynch was captured in 2003, initial reports claimed that she had gone down fighting, firing her weapon until she ran out of ammunition. Lynch later set the record straight, telling Newsweek magazine that "I didn't even get a shot off." Caguioa's death follows the April death toll of over 100 American troops: the deadliest month for 2007. His death has raised questions as to the frequency of such medical mistakes as casualties soar. This concern is magnified by recent reports of poor outpatient care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, located near the National Naval Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Although Walter Reed was supposed to be closed, and patients moved to the Bethesda complex, the hospital has remained open due to the high amount of casualties. Reports surfaced earlier this year that the hospital had neglected wounded soldiers in the outpatient system, providing substandard housing for many of them and requiring them to navigate a bureaucratic maze to get benefits they deserved. Caguioa's death came a day before President George W. Bush visited the National Naval Medical Center to pay respects to wounded soldiers ahead of the Memorial Day weekend, a time when the nation honors the contributions of America's men and women in Combat. Another young FilAm soldier killed in Iraq In November 2006, another FilAm, Army Staff Sgt. Richwell A. Doria, 25, died in Kirkuk after being struck by small-arms fire during an air-assault mission. Doria was born in the Philippines. When he was 11, his parents, Fred and Rosario Doria, sent him to the United States to live with his grandfather, Benito Doria, in San Diego. Doria’s parents and sister, Rowena, still live in the Philippines. His parents sent him to the US so he would have opportunities he couldn't get back home, according to his aunt Zenaida Anderson. She and her sister, Minda Doria, took care of Richwell as if he were their own child. Andersen said he was also close to his uncle, Manny Doria, who is a leader in the Filipino community and an aide to US Rep. Bob Filner. A 2000 graduate of Morse High School in San Diego, California, Doria left behind his wife, Jasmine, and their four-month-old daughter, Jada, of Ewa Beach in Hawaii, and many relatives in San Diego and the Philippines. Doria served in Afghanistan for a year, returning in April 2005, and welcomed another mission to Iraq. He left for Iraq on Aug. 8, just weeks after the birth of his daughter July on 14. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 25th Infantry Regiment. Doria became a US citizen two years ago. - GMANews.TV, with reports from Philippine News and Eric Lachica