Marine Cpl. Jesus Medellin wanted to do what his father couldn't. He wanted to serve his country.
On Monday, he died doing the job he had dreamed of since he was 12.
"There's no prouder way of losing someone than through serving their country," said Freddy Medellin Sr., whose physical problems prevented him from joining the military.
Jesus "Marty" Medellin, 21, was killed in central Iraq when an enemy artillery shell struck his vehicle. He was assigned to the 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 1st Marine Division, based at Camp Pendleton. He served as an assault vehicle crewman.
Medellin was the second of four boys in a close-knit Texas family. His older brother, Freddy Jr., organized a candlelight vigil in his honor, held last night at the family's Fort Worth home.
His aunt, Simona Sifuentes, said Medellin was a friendly, easygoing and family-oriented man who played games with his 11-year-old brother, Simon, and took him to movies. He was active in his family's church and had a special liking for his grandmother's tortillas.
When he graduated from W.E. Boswell High School in Fort Worth in 2000, he went straight to boot camp. Whenever he went home to visit, he seemed happy, his aunt said.
Sifuentes came to San Diego with a few other members of his family when Medellin graduated from boot camp in October 2000.
"They were making fun of me because I was taking all kinds of pictures," she said. "Now I'm glad I took all those pictures."
The Associated Press and The Dallas Morning News contributed to this report.
Kristen Green: (619) 542-4576; kristen.green@uniontrib.com
