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Marine Staff Sgt. Riayan A. Tejeda 
Marine Staff Sgt. Riayan A. Tejeda, 26, of New York, N.Y.; assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; killed April 11 during combat operations against enemy forces in northeast Baghdad.
Candles burned outside the Tejeda family’s door in New York City, where a photo of their son, Riayan, was posted along with the words “Our Hero.” Tejeda was killed April 11 in combat. “They don’t tell me exactly what happened,” his father, Julio Tejeda, said. “They only come to my house and say they have bad news for me: My son has been killed in the fighting in Iraq.” Julio Tejeda said his son was a fan of Latin music and always told his mother that he loved her. He is survived by two daughters, ages 3 and 6, Gunnery Sgt. Luz Fontaine said. Tejeda, a Dominican citizen, “pledged his loyalty and ultimately his life to his adopted nation,” New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said at his funeral. Although Tejeda had not yet become an American citizen, “we are proud he was a citizen of New York, including New York City’s Dominican community,” the mayor said. Killed: April 11, 2003 |
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