Our Latest American Hero #99

gregoryrivera-santiago
Originally uploaded by Randuwa

Last week a transport vehicle was involved in a non-combat related accident in Iraq. No big deal, eh? I wish that were true, because this time the end result was 7 U. S. soldiers killed. My 99th random representative of the nearly 3,800 men and women in the military who've given their lives for us in this War on Terrorism, was on that ill-fated vehicle. He's also one of the thousands of troops in our military who come from places that the United States administers, but does not enfranchise with the same rights (OR responsibilities) as citizens who live in any of the 50 states.

A role call of dead from these "colonies of the United States" looks like this: American Samoa - 8, District of Columbia - 5, Federated States of Micronesia - 3, Guam - 7, Marianas Islands Protectorate - 4, Puerto Rico - 35, U. S. Virgin Islands - 6. On there face, with the exception of Puerto Rico, relatively small numbers. And "relatively" IS the key. Base those numbers on the miniscule populations of these places and then compare them with state-side totals, and members of our military from our "colonies" are paying a MUCH greater price in fatalities. American Samoa holds the top spot for per capita military deaths while serving in the War on Terrorism, for example. Citizens of these far flung locales are "American" enough to die for our "Commander-and-Chief's military perogatives, perhaps it's time that they were "Citizen" enough to VOTE for him/her?

Without further ado....

Army Staff Sgt. Gregory Rivera-Santiago, 26, of St. Croix, Virgin Islands; assigned to the 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died Sept. 10 in Baghdad of injuries sustained in a non-combat-related vehicle rollover. Also killed were Staff Sgt. Yance T. Gray (of MT), Sgt. Michael C. Hardegree (of GA), Sgt. Omar L. Mora (of IL), Sgt. Nicholas J. Patterson (of IN), Spc. Ari D. Brown-Weeks (of MD) and Spc. Steven R. Elrod (of NC).

"Deadliest Year For Soldiers From The Virgin Islands In The War"

Staff Sgt. Gregory Rivera-Santiago, 26, of St. Croix, Virgin Islands, was an Infantry Team Leader 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division.

"Staff Sergeant Rivera was a squad leader in my platoon in 2005," said Capt. Patrick Koucheravy, a fellow soldier. "He and I deployed to Afghanistan together in the fall of that year to support Operation Enduring Freedom. What I remember most is his unique sense of humor and the high esteem the men of his squad reserved for him."

Rivera-Santiago joined the Army in August 1999.

“His squad really looked after each other and I believe this was a direct reflection of the way Staff Sergeant Rivera treated the soldiers under him," added Koucheravy. "He would go to bat for his men in a second, no questions asked."

Rivera-Santiago is survived by his wife, Brooke Rivera; his son, Gregory Rivera, IV; his daughter, Xiomara; his step-daughter, Ayani Bowling, all of Fayetteville, N.C.; and his mother, Carmen Santiago, of St. Croix, Virgin Islands.