Oceanside native dies in Baghdad bombing

By: MARK WALKER - Staff Writer | Tuesday, January 31, 2006 5:58 AM PST ∞

OCEANSIDE ---- On Saturday, Marcos and Madalena "Maddi" Herrera of Oceanside suffered the greatest loss parents experience when their son, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. David L. Herrera, was killed in a roadside bombing in Iraq.

A 1997 graduate of Oceanside High School, 26-year-old Herrera died from massive injuries suffered when the bomb destroyed the Humvee he was driving while patrolling the streets of Baghdad.

Despite their loss, the Herreras are unwavering in their support of U.S. policy and the goal of bringing peace to a country confronting almost daily insurgent-led bombings and small arms attacks that claim the lives of American soldiers and Marines.

On Monday, as they coped with their loss and were in the midst of funeral arrangements and receiving visitors, the Herreras spoke with pride about their son.

"We're a military family," Maddi Herrera, a clerk at Oceanside's Ditmar Elementary School, said in a halting voice, at times breaking down in tears. "If we don't do what we're doing in Iraq, than who will?

"David was doing what he loved and he gave the ultimate sacrifice for his country. He loved the Army, and he loved our country."

The Herreras remain committed despite the prospect that David's older brother, Staff Sgt. Marcus Herrera, 30, may be called back to Iraq as his brother was for a second tour of duty. The siblings took part in the March 2003 U.S. invasion, both as members of the Army's storied 101st Airborne Division.

They remain committed even as Marcos, 55, an Army veteran who served in Vietnam in 1970-71 and is now a master sergeant in the U.S. Army Reserves, is scheduled to be called back to active duty in March.

"He was there for us," Marcos Herrera said of his son. "He did it for this country, and he did it for the president. We are there for a reason. There is a mission, and we will complete it."

Of his own upcoming service, he said he will willingly go "to help the Iraqi people."

The Herreras talked about their son and their firmly held beliefs while sitting in a small study in their Oceanside home. It's a room filled with Army memorabilia and photographs of their two sons and of Marcos Herrera in various military postings over the years. A map of Iraq traces the cities and places each of their sons saw while in Iraq.

They recalled David as a friendly, outgoing young man who, while in high school, was known for his flashy dress and quick wit. He was someone who would always rent a limousine and have flowers on hand when going on important dates, they said.

Growing up, he attended North Terrace Elementary School on Camp Pendleton and Lincoln Middle School before moving on to Oceanside High, where he took part in numerous activities, including chorus and other singing groups.

Under the tutelage of his father, he and his brother and other neighborhood kids would box in the backyard of the family home. That training helped him win the middleweight crown in an Army boxing tournament a few years back, his father recalled with obvious pride.

Their home on San Simeon Street sits just beyond a fence separating their neighborhood from Camp Pendleton, where David's grandfather served in the U.S. Marines.

Above the home flies an American flag. Yellow ribbon stickers reading "Support Our Troops" adorn family vehicles, and a sign above the front door reads "Master Sgt. Marcos Herrera." His unit, the 352nd Civil Affairs Command stationed in Riverdale Park, Md., is expecting to by deployed to Iraq following training this spring.

David Herrera joined the Army in March 1998, shortly after his older brother did. Besides those of their father, they followed in the footsteps of an uncle and several cousins who also have served in the Army.

The fallen sergeant was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division's 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat team stationed at Fort Campbell, Ky.

Besides his parents and his brother, David Herrera leaves behind a wife, Tonya, an elementary school teacher in Clarksville, Tenn., and the couple's 3-year-old daughter, Emma. A second daughter is on the way as Tonya Herrera is scheduled to give birth in April.

During his years of service, Herrera earned the Army Good Conduct Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the National Defense Service Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal.

A memorial service will be conducted in Iraq. Burial is expected to take place in Clarksville, where Herrera and his wife have lived for the last three years.

Army casualty officer Capt. Jared Czap said Monday that he will make certain the Herrera family and the sergeant's widow receive all the assistance they require.

"Sgt. Herrera was a very dedicated soldier," Czap said. "He comes from a great military family, and we will be supporting them in all their needs."

In an area where Marine casualties in Iraq are much more common because of the presence of Camp Pendleton and Miramar Marine Corps Air Station, deaths involving local residents in the Army are rare.

Herrera was the fourth North County resident in the U.S. Army to die in Iraq since the 2003 invasion, according to records kept by The Associated Press. The three other Army members who died were all killed last year. They were Staff Sgt. Paul Neubauer of Oceanside, Staff Sgt. Jorge L. Pena-Romero of Fallbrook, and Spc. Mike T. Sonoda Jr. of Fallbrook.

At least 271 Marines based in North County have died in the war.

Contact staff writer Mark Walker at (760) 740-3529 or mlwalker@nctimes.com. To comment, go to nctimes.com.

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