Morgan Hill is well-represented in the military

Morgan Hill is sending its young people off to military service
and, possibly, war along with communities across the land.
Morgan Hill is sending its young people off to military service and, possibly, war along with communities across the land. Since their families will need to share their pride and worries with friends and acquaintances, this story will highlight who some of them are.

Pvt. Gerald Sanchez

Sanchez, 27, is serving in Korea with the U.S. Army First Battalion, 19th Field Artillery after graduating from training in Ft. Sill, Okla. His platoon calls themselves the “Renegades.”

He is the son of Olga Jean and Dom Sanchez and the father of Janessa Joyce who is six and a half years old.

Sanchez is following a family tradition of public and national service, his mother said – following his uncle John who served in World War II and, especially, his father, a retired sergeant with the Santa Clara County Department of Corrections.

Sanchez, a seventh generation Morgan Hill resident, is the grandson of Rachel and Jess Estrada, great grandson of Trinidad and John Acosta and Xavier Sanchez Sr. of San Martin. He went through the Morgan Hill schools, is a member of St. Catherine Church, was a Boy Scout and Karate student and was in Real Estate with his father before joining up in October.

Petty Officer 1st Class Salvador C. Munoz

Munoz, 31, with 11 years’ service is serving aboard the aircraft carrier USS Constellation, known as “America’s Flagship”. He is the son of Tommy Munoz of Morgan Hill and is an aviation structural mechanic

“I am responsible for maintaining environmental control systems,” said Munoz, a 1989 graduate of Live Oak High School. The Constellation is expected to be decommissioned in September and is on its final deployment.

Munoz finds serving in the military and on the carrier a rewarding experience.

“The most rewarding aspect is knowing that we are doing our job to ensure the freedom of all the people back home,” he said.

Staff Sgt. John G. Amaral

Amaral shipped out to the Middle East in early March with his Army National Guard reserve unit, the 140th Aviation Regime, a Chinook helicopter unit based in Stockton. He was called up to active duty on Jan. 4. He is a 1984 Live Oak graduate who moved to Morgan Hill in 1972. Staying behind is his wife Karlyne and children Emily 11, Kathleen 7 and John Paul 5. The family now lives in South San Jose. Amaral’s parents, John and Emily, his sister Nellie Fitzgibbons and brother Joe live in Morgan Hill. Even though his absence is a hardship on the family, Fitzgibbons said, because Karlyne works as a state investigator and must often be away from home, the family supports him.

“John really believes in what he is doing,” she said.

Pvt. Kernen Dibble, 18, went off to Boot Camp on Jan. 26 according to the Rev. Mary Blessing. Before leaving for the service Dibble attended her church youth group. She asks that everyone pray for him and for other service men and women.

Sgt. James Sanders

Sanders was deployed to Kuwait in October with the U.S. Army Signal Corps. His parents John and Sharon said he expects to be stationed there for at least a year. Sanders is a 1994 graduate of Live Oak High School.

PFC Ethan Salzano

Salzano, 19, is serving with the U.S. Marines and is currently stationed in Pensacola, Fla. going through communications training. He is a 2002 Monte Vista High School graduate (Watsonville) and went into the service in August. He is an 2002 Eagle Scout and was recently presented the Honor Medal by the Boy Scouts National Court of Honor for unusual heroism in attempting to save a life. Ethan’s mother Mary Ellen is also a proud “Marine Mom”.

Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Benjamin R. Miner

Miner, a 1998 graduate of Live Oak High School currently in the Arabian Gulf while assigned to the dock landing ship USS Comstock, homeported in San Diego. Miner is one of nearly 22, 000 Pacific Fleet Sailors and Marines aboard 14 amphibious ships of Commander, Task Group 51, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

During the deployment, Miner’s ship off-loaded 1, 500 personnel and equipment from the 1st Marine Expeditionary Battalion at Camp Patriot, Kuwait.

USS Comstock supports amphibious operations using landing craft air cushions (LCAC) which are specially designed hovercraft that travel above land and sea surfaces to deliver vehicles and equipment. The ship also has conventional landing craft and helicopters embarked, and is equipped with medical facilities staffed by Navy doctors, dentists, nurses and corpsmen. (from the Fleet Hometown News Center, Norfolk, Va.)

Marine Corps Reserve Cpl. Christine E. Sanchez

Sanchez is the daughter of Marilyn I. Lorance of Aumsville, Ore. and Jess M Sanchez of Morgan Hill, is now supporting Operation Enduring Freedom while assigned to Company “A”, 6th Engineer Support Battalion, 4th Force Service Support Group (FSSG), home based in Eugene, Ore.

Sanchez’s unit deployed as part of a larger Marine force in support of the global war on terrorism.

The 4th FSSG in a member of a Marine Air-Ground Task Force, providing focused logistical support both at home base and to deployed units throughout the world. They provide combat service support in six main functional area: supply, maintenance, transportation, medical and dental care, and engineer support.

Sanchez joined the Marine Corps Reserve in October 2000.

PFC Teal Peterson

Peterson, 19, entered the U.S. Marines after graduating from Live Oak High School in 2002. He was active in the Emerald Regime, was an Eagle Scout and senior patrol leader in Troop 799. Peterson is now undergoing communications training in Pensacola, Fla. Ethan’s mother Zeta said she is a “Proud Marine Mom.”

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Santiago C. Fierro

Fierro recently made his way through the Straits of Gibraltar and into the Mediterranean Sea while assigned to the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, based in Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Fierro is one of more than 4,000 Pacific Fleet Sailors and Marines aboard the ships of the USS Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group.

Fierro’s unit is an expeditionary intervention force with the ability to rapidly organize for combat operations in virtually any environment. MEUs are composed of more than 2, 000 personnel and are divided into an infantry battalion, aircraft squadron, support group and command element. With this combination, Fierro’s unit supplies and sustains itself for either quick mission accomplishment or clearing the way for follow-on forces.

He is the son of Wendy E. Fierro of Morgan Hill and Cruz J. Fierro of Los Banos and is a 2000 graduate of Gilroy High School of Gilroy. He joined the Marine Corps in May 2001.

LETTERS FOR TROOPS

A group of Morgan Hill volunteers is collecting and sending letters to troops overseas, through proper channels.

The team follows Pentagon regulations by sending the missives to a “middle person” – Operation Yellow Ribbon – which includes them in care packages sent to specific addresses. The Pentagon has cracked down recently on unsolicited letters and packages because of security reasons.

Gina Six, Steve Kudo and Bob Snow of YMH, Bob Snow and Mary Ellen Salzano compose the team.

You can help the support effort by logging onto www.YourMorganHill.com or www.OperationYellowRibbon.org Letters may be mailed to: Our Troops, P. O. Box 1179, Morgan Hill, CA 95038.