Joe J Garza
Profile
Age: 43
From: Robstown, Texas
Assigned to 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment based in Fort Benning, Ga.
Incident: Army 1st Sgt. Joe J. Garza was killed when he was struck by a civilian vehicle after falling out of a Humvee that swerved to avoid a civilian vehicle in Baghdad.
Died: April 28, 2003
Joe Garza had more than 20 years in the Army, as a mechanic, a drill instructor and a respected non-commissioned officer. He had planned to stay in as long as the military would let him.
“He loved the Army,” his sister, Oralia Zapata told the Corpus Christi Caller-Times.
Garza, 43, a native of Robstown in southern Texas, was killed April 28 in Baghdad. He fell out of a Humvee when it swerved to avoid a civilian vehicle, the Pentagon said. Garza, based at Fort Benning in Georgia, lived in Columbus with his wife of 24 years, Mary. The couple have three children.
Garza was one of 10 children — six girls, four boys — and enjoyed long-distance running. “Of all 10 of us, he was the one who would try and make you laugh,” said a sister, Manuela Espinoza....