Hello Corporal Gomez. I want to thank you for everything you have done and been through in Iraq. I want to wish you the best back in USA. You know, there are people that will not like other people for any reason: too fat, too skinny, smokers, too short, different color, accents, etc. But one can build his own and surround oneself with one's own, chosen America. And I am sure you will do successfully the same. All the best to you and your family!

Edited by author 09-29-2004 11:24 PM
Just wanted to invite all to the "IN THE NEWS BOARD". We talk about all to Kobe, Scott Peterson, The war, Hurricanes, some just post a joke. Would love to have you stop by now and then. Hope to see you, just click on the link. In The News.

http://www.quicktopic.com/27/H/yf6n5CMKrr4mf

P.S. Carlos please come over and tell us yor story.

hi my name is Cpl gomez this article was written about me and i want to thank kevin for the great job that he did and i also want to thank all of you for your great comments and i appreciate all of your imput i never thought what happend to me would never make it this far i really owe it all to kevin and i would love to hear from you ones again and to all of you i am not a hero i dont consider me to be a hero what so ever i was just doing my job and like i told kevin i did feel like a traitor ones i got on the chopper to leave iraq and left my platton and my company behind i njust want to thank you all and kevin if you get to read this article please write me back at my email address at carlosc108@excite.com and to any of you to pleas eif you have ny questions please reply to me and i wiull try to wrte back to you all thank you and i can never say thanks enought goodbye for now

Gracias Senor Gomez ---

y Vaya con Dios mi hermano!

Carlos,

Wear a U.S. Marine baseball cap with a purple heart on it. Everyone will get the message real quick. God Bless You !

Wow I am proud of this Carlos Gomez. God bless you warriors for fighting for your country.

Edited by author 08-12-2004 12:31 AM
First, thanks to all the soldiers that are fighting to keep things safe here and abroad. Even if I don't support the politics I support you guys 100%.

Second, thanks to all of you with positive comments, sometimes it can be very hard to maintain in the face of ignorance. You guys and gals are a reminder that there are still some people who do not share in the hatred.

On a side note I would like to tell you about one of the "drains on this society". She works hard everyday in dangerous conditions that none of you would accept. She has been at her job for over 11 years and she makes state regulated minimum wage with no benifits. She pays her taxes because contraty to popular belief social security numbers do not grow on trees and companies do not accept a name and social security number change yearly from their employees. She does not claim 20 dependents because the gov will tax her to death at the end of the year and send her to prison if she does not pay. Her husband, 5 year old daughter, her brother and her were held at gun point recently, the brothers jaw was broken and their money taken, and they did not call the police for fear of deportation. They are being billed for the medical treatment. Some drain!

Oh and you mentioned someone taking you job, well I have a lead for you. I got a job where you can pick fruit all day at a blistering pace with your child by your side while pesticides are dumped on you and you family and you make less than minimum wage if some guy does'nt say screw you I'm not paying anything because you did not work hard enough. Or there is also a job here where you can scrub toilets. How about nanny for less then minimum. Okay you want the big bucks, how about selling oranges or ice cream.

Bro, You are more American than a lot of people could ever aspire to be. Keep the faith, and take care of your boy. I am sure he will always be able to hold his head high in respect for his dad!

GOD BLESS YOU.

A very good article. To Gomez, I am a US Army veteran and have been a police officer for the past 24 years. Not all cops are like some you have seen. My department makes a special effort to reach out to Latinos. Keep on fighting.

This is the best story I have ever read/heard showing the contrast between the greatness of Amerca and its sad grotesque underbelly.

Thank you corporal.

Thank you U.S. Marines.

This article should be posted in every police station in America. While the majority of Police in the world are good people there are always those in every avocation that need to be given pause. Our society has come a long way since the civil rights movement but obviously we haven't come close to far enough.

THERE IS AN ARTICLE IN THE L.A. TIMES ABOUT CORPORAL GOMEZ-PEREZ. THURSDAY, MAY 27, 2004. THANKS TO ALL THE MARINES FROM PENDLETON. GREAT WORK KEVIN! STAY SAFE.

My blessings go out to Mr. Gomez (and the other men and women in all the armed forces of the US) for their service and support of the principles that comprise FREEDOM...it is with gratitude and respect that I (a caucasian man) say "THANK YOU"....I'm happy to hear about your naturalization as an American Citizen, and saddened about the death of your comrades and your own wounds...may you heal quickly (and know that you are in the prayers, hearts and minds of many, MANY people around the world).......Thanks Kevin for sharing this great article.

To Lcpl. Gomez, Bless you & know there are many people out there that want you to know how grateful we are to you for your service to our country. My oldest son is a Marine and his younger brother is going to boot camp in June and both know that all Marines are brothers for life, regardless of race or class he/she came from. Please know that as a mom of a Marine, and soon to be a mother of two Marines I see every young Marine as my own son & care about all of you. Congratulations on your citizenship as I know it will probably mean more to you than many Americans who take what we have for granted. I wish for you a speedy recovery and best wishes to you and your family. Thanks Kevin for sharing this. God Bless you Lcpl Gomez, Jan Coker Davis, CA. (One son home from War and both to eventually go!)

God Bless you Lcpl. Gomez. I sent my children this article today as a lesson in what price some of our SONS and DAUGHTERS pay for freedom. He absolutely deserves citizenship - if I had the ability to give it I would be only too honored to bestow it - making sure my children knew every detail of his valor and what it meant to their ability to sit calmly in a small Texas school and learn the lessons of the day, go to Prom, play sports..smile and visit with their friends. I wish the same for his family...

Thank you Lcpl. Gomez for your service to our country. And to you Kevin for a wonderful article. The US has always had immigrants in its Armed Services, and the son's and daughters of immigrants who are grateful for the opportunities the US has given us.

Lcpl. Gomez should be given his citizenship, he has earned it.

It's not much, but if our paths ever cross, dinner's on me.

Edited by author 05-17-2004 06:04 PM
What a good article, Kevin. Thank you for telling this young man's story. Would you please pass on to Lcpl. Gomez and his family how much his service is appreciated? As far as I am concerned, his debt is more than paid in full. He is now a citizen, and should be treated as such - he has certainly earned that. This article was a very good lesson; you never know when you are encountering a hero on the street or in the store, or wherever you may be. Our men and women serving in the military shouldn't have to be wearing their uniform in order to be treated well.

Great article, my hat's off to Gomez and the many other military personnel in country. I know another young marine, currently in country, who arrived illegally several years ago. He is now a legal alien, and we are all hoping he will obtain US citizenship while in the service of his adopted country.

As with most Americans, our hearts and prayers support the most difficult circumstances these young patriots face.

Kevin, good Article on Lcpl. Gomez.

Just so you know the Rio Grande is the international boudary between Mexico and the US only in a small part of New Mexico and all of Texas.

Semper Fi Carlos.

My son just arrived in Iraq, (Ramadi) to replace the men that have been wounded and killed. This is his second tour in country. I wish all the Marines in that area luck. As always, If you can't be safe, BE CAREFUL.

Damn. Kevin writes a great story and people want to make it political. Carlos appreciates the opportunities in the US, and understands bigotry. He's the kind of person who will make a difference in the world, unlike those who throw insults or whine about how he was treated.

Semper Fi, Marine.

o yea..
USA hires illegal migrants to army...
how do they tax their salaries?

the next step - send the figutives to Iraq..
"La policia is outsorsing their backpain"

Edited by author 05-12-2004 03:11 PM
It is amazing what some people say, sitting here reading what some of you say upsets me. Carlos Gomez you have my respect, for one i was born a u.s. citizen and i know i couldn't do what you did sir, and i know for a fact that there are many more out there like me who couldn't and wouldn't do the job you do. Being in the infantry division is difficult and it takes a lot of power (mentally and physically) to do what you did and have your buddy die in your arms. You have my respect and i thank you for what you did, especially knowing that you may never get to see your family again or be able to give your last good bye to them. I thank Carlos Gomez for being one of the many soldiers, who allows me to have the life i have. I wish your family the best, i know how it feels to be away from your family, my husband is also in the Marines, and is in Iraq at the moment, and sometimes the things people say can upset one, i know that for a fact but it is good to know that good men still exist in this world and are willing to do so much for a country that isn't even their homeland, no questions asked, i thank you.

Your comments are frightening. When did HATE become an anthem of the United States? While I do not agree with many of the reasons and choices that put our troops in Iraq, I believe that any soldier with the courage to go and risk his life is worthy of our respect. Carlos Gomez risked his own life and was wounded trying to save a fellow Marine, I'd say that makes him a courageous man worthy of our respect. Unless you are a full-blooded Native American you too are descended from immigrants who were in many cases looked down upon and hated. Like Carlos Gomez' family, they were just trying to find a better life. Your ancestors would be ashamed of you.

Thanks for the censorship. I wouldn't want people to know the truth about the brown plague that's covering the southern US. Our schools are bankrupt, our hospitals are going broke, our jobs are being taken, and you want to make this guy out to be a hero.

I hope karma does exist.

One thing your article left out: If he does die, the US will not count his death, or any of the contractors deaths as 'official' casualties. That is why journalists continually see dead that the pentagon will not confirm. An influx of illegals keeps the death count artificially low.

Ummmm, am I missing something here? Why is a soldier participating in a colonial adventure turning into a hero?

Edited by author 05-11-2004 03:34 AM
You have my respect Marine Carlos Gomez.

Semper Fi
Do or die
Hold 'em high
At Eighth and I.

OOH-RAH!

So he sneaks across the border and scores a job in the Army? How the hell did that happen?! Am I the only one that thinks it's pretty ridiculous that an illegal alien can get a job in the US military?

ah yes, the opportunities in the US

As a deportee, i can say the draw of the country is sometimes too much to take. Yes, i know it is a bad thing. But do you think of just how much of the us's economy is supported by the shoulders of illegal immigrant labor.

Thank you Xeni for posting this. As an avid BoingBoing reader, the blog has never stopped being informative, interesting, and above all, fun.

I write this while looking at the possibility of crossing into the US again. As i said, the draw sometimes it's too much to take.

next time, buddy, don't invade other people's countries, or you might not be so lucky.

Edited by author 05-10-2004 06:47 PM
Kevin - What a wonderful story of inspiration for all of us, and admiration for Mr. Gomez. In a country where he has faced many challenges with disrespect, he still felt compelled to put his life on the line for the war on terror. Did he have to go? No, he chose to go because he's a proud, thankful and courageous man. I wish I could shake your hand, and give you a hug for all you've done. Thank you, Mr. Gomez! And thank you, Kevin, for bringing this story to us! May God watch over all our troops.....

good work, make sure to read this one, too http://wildfirejo.blogspot.com/

It's important we hear the stories of everyone in this situation. I strive to hear stories of all participants, Iraqi and Coalition. Thanks for sharing this one, Kevin...