Anthony Aguirre

Channelview, Texas

February 26, 2007

 Killed while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq.

My brother's name is Anthony Aguirre. I got the "knock" on my door on February 26, 2007. He was 3 weeks shy of turning 21 years old. 

I last talked to him 10 days before he passed, he called me to let me know that he had just bought his ticket to come home. I was to pick him up in less than three weeks at the airport at 7:05 a.m. 

My brother dreamed of nothing other than serving his country. He'd talked of nothing else since he was 3 years old. We all knew that Anthony would go into the military. Anthony was stationed in Hawaii, and my family attended a memorial service a couple months after my brother passed, and actually got to meet the men my brother saved. 

My brother stepped on an IED that had been placed to go off as the humvee parked in it's usual spot. The Marines on that operation that day were doing their normal everyday sweep. 

My brother had been hurt three weeks prior to this so he was on foot patrol. The platoon commander told us that everyday they did the exact same patrol, sweeps, and never, never, had a Marine chosen to patrol in front of the Humvee, always to the right and left of the tank. 

The command had just gone out for my brother to wrap up the sweep that they were done with the sweep, when his next footstep was on that IED. Anthony waited until everyone of his Marine brothers was out of harms way before he released his foot. 

The IED was connected to, two 30lb tanks of propane. Had my brother not been at the exact spot everyone of the troops, including my brother, on that sweep would have perished. 

While we were in Hawaii, we met a staff sergeant that told us that my brother had been injured three weeks prior, and when my brother was told he would be discharged because of his injury, my brother literally got on his knees and begged him and the doctor to not release him. 

He told them that being a Marine was his life, and serving his country was what he lived for. The staff sergeant told us in all the years he's been in the Corp, he's never known a man with such dedication, commitment and passion to the Marine Corp. He knew by the look in my brother's eyes that they would be destroying his life if they released him, and he didn't have the heart to let him go. 

He said, he told my brother he wished there were more Marines like him. Just three weeks later, Anthony saved his life, along with over twenty other Marines. 

A Scholarship memorial fund has been established in honor of Lance Corporal Anthony Aguirre who was killed in action on February 26, 2007.

The first scholarships will be awarded in 2008 to Channelview graduates. The goal is to award four scholarships annually. Two scholarships will be awarded to Channelview JROTC Seniors and two will be awarded to Channelview High School seniors.

Donations may be made at any Woodforest National Bank to the:

Anthony Aguirre Scholarship Memorial Fund

If you have any questions or for further information please contact:
Christina Castillo at 713-551-6256.