BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Maria Garcia continues to share the memory of her son, fallen Veteran Alberto Garcia Jr.
- Alberto Garcia Jr. died in 2007 at the age of 23and would have been 40.
- Alberto served in the army and was deployed to Germany and Iraq.
- Maria keeps his memory alive through photographs and stories in her home.
- Maria expresses her ongoing commitment to honoring her son's memory, especially on Veterans Day.
Broadcast transcript:
Alberto Gracia Jr. is a Bakersfield native who served our country honorably.
Speaking with his mother, she shares the memories of her son she still keeps alive.
In the home of Maria Garcia, the walls are filled with her son's memories, photographs that capture the spirit of her son.
Her son Alberto Jr. Garcia died in 2007 at just 23 years old.
During a phone call with her son she recalls, "I heard a big boom, he goes 'Did you hear that mom?' I said 'Yea, it wasn't even close, I go wow,' he goes 'yea.'" - Maria Garcia
Alberto served in the army and was deployed to Germany and Iraq. Over the phone, he told her, "He goes 'Ok mom,' I go 'I love you too son,' he goes 'I love you too mom' and that was it." - Maria Garcia
Through the distance, she says she could feel his passion on the phone to serve our country.
"I could feel his joy, he was very happy, you know, joyful, and that made me feel good." - Maria Garcia
She also felt the pain when Alberto told her about the loss of fellow soldiers on the battlefield.
"As a mom, you just want to go into the phone so you can hug him and say everything's going to be ok."
Leaving behind his sisters and his fiancée, she tells me her son was a man of God and who brought her endless happiness.
"Taped to his chest when he took his clothes off, was a pocket bible."
In his passing, he has been honored at the Portrait of a Warrior Gallery, received the Presidential Unit Citation Award, and the American Red Cross Real Hero award.
"So I made it a point, it's like a mission that I'm going to honor my son's memory as best as I can."
Maria Garcia says her son is always in her heart and on days like Veterans Day, she continues to honor his service.
