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Families mourn 2 N. Texas soldiers

Loved ones cherish memories from their recent visits home


09:46 AM CST on Wednesday, February 9, 2005


By JEFF MOSIER / The Dallas Morning News



FORT WORTH – Sofia Maldonado remembers the joy she shared with her boyfriend, Army Sgt. Daniel Torres of Fort Worth, when she told him last week that he would soon be a father.

"He said he would pray for me and the baby every night," said Ms. Maldonado, who is five weeks pregnant. "I knew that he was going to be with me forever."

But two days later, her joy turned into grief when she learned that Sgt. Torres had been killed in Iraq.

Army officials told Sgt. Torres' family that the 23-year-old Southwest High School graduate died Friday when his vehicle apparently struck a mine near Baji, about 140 miles north of Baghdad.


Families mourn 2 N. Texas soldiers

Loved ones cherish memories from their recent visits home


09:46 AM CST on Wednesday, February 9, 2005


By JEFF MOSIER / The Dallas Morning News



FORT WORTH – Sofia Maldonado remembers the joy she shared with her boyfriend, Army Sgt. Daniel Torres of Fort Worth, when she told him last week that he would soon be a father.

"He said he would pray for me and the baby every night," said Ms. Maldonado, who is five weeks pregnant. "I knew that he was going to be with me forever."

But two days later, her joy turned into grief when she learned that Sgt. Torres had been killed in Iraq.

Army officials told Sgt. Torres' family that the 23-year-old Southwest High School graduate died Friday when his vehicle apparently struck a mine near Baji, about 140 miles north of Baghdad.

Another North Texas soldier, Army Spc. Jeremy O. Allmon, 22, of Cleburne died Sunday when a homemade bomb detonated near his vehicle in Taji, just north of Baghdad.

Preston Ray, Spc. Allmon's stepfather, said the Cleburne native joined the military so his family would be proud of him and to find a calling that went beyond an ordinary job.

"He said that he wanted to do something more," Mr. Ray said.

Spc. Allmon spoke often about returning home this summer, when his enlistment ending, and going to college. Mr. Ray said his stepson was a fan of the outdoors and wanted to become a game warden.

When he was home in October for two weeks, he sat around campfires with friends and rode four-wheelers to unwind.

"He could ride his four-wheeler without having to worry about bombs or booby traps," Mr. Ray said.


Army Spc. Jeremy O. Allmon He said that Spc. Allmon was due to leave Iraq next month, and family members were feeling relieved before this week's news arrived.

"It was like we were over the hump," Mr. Ray said. "We thought he was going to be safe."

In Fort Worth, two families were mourning for Sgt. Torres.

Sergio Torres woke up early Saturday to go to his daughter's softball game. As he prepared to leave, two soldiers arrived to tell him that his son had been killed.

"The last time we saw him, he told us not to worry if the Army came to his house to tell us he had died," the elder Mr. Torres said Tuesday. "He had a hunch it would happen. When he came to visit us in December, he told us he didn't know if he would return."

Mr. Torres said that his son wanted to help make Iraq better for the children and young men his age who live there. But he also wanted to use the money he made in the army to help pay for college, where he planned to study marketing and international business.

And just last month, Sgt. Torres and Ms. Maldonado talked hopefully about their own future. They weren't engaged, but they spoke frequently of marrying and starting a family when he returned to Fort Worth after his current tour of Iraq was completed.


Only half their plans came true. Ms. Maldonado, an 18-year-old graduate of Southwest High, said she's coping with the fact that her baby will never know his or her father.

At the first of the year, Ms. Maldonado didn't even believe she would see Mr. Torres, let alone become pregnant.

Sgt. Torres called her in early January to say that he only had a two-day leave and couldn't make it to Fort Worth. He told her he was going into a movie and would call her afterward.

Soon, he was walking into her bedroom. Ms. Maldonado flung herself into her boyfriend's arms, smiling about the trick he had just pulled.

Rick Saldivar, Sgt. Torres' uncle, said his nephew was ecstatic about impending fatherhood. The young man, he said, placed a great value on family.

"He was thrilled. He was so happy," Mr. Saldivar said. "He asked all the family members to help her with anything she needed."

Because he was thousands of miles away in Kuwait, Sgt. Torres had to describe the huge smile he had on his face during that phone call from his girlfriend last week. He reminded Ms. Maldonado to eat healthy foods and take vitamins for the baby.

"He told me not to worry," Ms. Maldonado said.

Now she has a different kind of fear – what to tell her child about Sgt. Torres?

"I will tell him that his dad was a brave person," Ms. Maldonado said, "the bravest person I know."


Another North Texas soldier, Army Spc. Jeremy O. Allmon, 22, of Cleburne died Sunday when a homemade bomb detonated near his vehicle in Taji, just north of Baghdad.

Preston Ray, Spc. Allmon's stepfather, said the Cleburne native joined the military so his family would be proud of him and to find a calling that went beyond an ordinary job.

"He said that he wanted to do something more," Mr. Ray said.

Spc. Allmon spoke often about returning home this summer, when his enlistment ending, and going to college. Mr. Ray said his stepson was a fan of the outdoors and wanted to become a game warden.

When he was home in October for two weeks, he sat around campfires with friends and rode four-wheelers to unwind.

"He could ride his four-wheeler without having to worry about bombs or booby traps," Mr. Ray said.


Army Spc. Jeremy O. Allmon He said that Spc. Allmon was due to leave Iraq next month, and family members were feeling relieved before this week's news arrived.

"It was like we were over the hump," Mr. Ray said. "We thought he was going to be safe."

In Fort Worth, two families were mourning for Sgt. Torres.

Sergio Torres woke up early Saturday to go to his daughter's softball game. As he prepared to leave, two soldiers arrived to tell him that his son had been killed.

"The last time we saw him, he told us not to worry if the Army came to his house to tell us he had died," the elder Mr. Torres said Tuesday. "He had a hunch it would happen. When he came to visit us in December, he told us he didn't know if he would return."

Mr. Torres said that his son wanted to help make Iraq better for the children and young men his age who live there. But he also wanted to use the money he made in the army to help pay for college, where he planned to study marketing and international business.

And just last month, Sgt. Torres and Ms. Maldonado talked hopefully about their own future. They weren't engaged, but they spoke frequently of marrying and starting a family when he returned to Fort Worth after his current tour of Iraq was completed.


Only half their plans came true. Ms. Maldonado, an 18-year-old graduate of Southwest High, said she's coping with the fact that her baby will never know his or her father.

At the first of the year, Ms. Maldonado didn't even believe she would see Mr. Torres, let alone become pregnant.

Sgt. Torres called her in early January to say that he only had a two-day leave and couldn't make it to Fort Worth. He told her he was going into a movie and would call her afterward.

Soon, he was walking into her bedroom. Ms. Maldonado flung herself into her boyfriend's arms, smiling about the trick he had just pulled.

Rick Saldivar, Sgt. Torres' uncle, said his nephew was ecstatic about impending fatherhood. The young man, he said, placed a great value on family.

"He was thrilled. He was so happy," Mr. Saldivar said. "He asked all the family members to help her with anything she needed."

Because he was thousands of miles away in Kuwait, Sgt. Torres had to describe the huge smile he had on his face during that phone call from his girlfriend last week. He reminded Ms. Maldonado to eat healthy foods and take vitamins for the baby.

"He told me not to worry," Ms. Maldonado said.

Now she has a different kind of fear – what to tell her child about Sgt. Torres?

"I will tell him that his dad was a brave person," Ms. Maldonado said, "the bravest person I know."

Rest In Peace

Ellie