Two in local family serve nation
Sharon Strauss
sstrauss@idahopress.com


CALDWELL — In a family where patriotism runs high, longtime Caldwell resident Roger Ramirez and his daughter are both serving in the Middle East.

A former Gulf War veteran, Roger was born and raised in Caldwell. He re-enlisted after retirement and is currently serving a mission in Afghanistan. His 23-year-old daughter, Racine Ramirez, deployed there in July 2007 as an Army medic.

“Both of them told me they would be parachuted into where they were going, without knowing that each one was doing the same,” said Roger’s sister, Lisa Ramirez, of Nampa.

A third family member, Roger’s nephew — Staff Sgt. Jesús Guevara, 23 — is currently stationed at Gowen Field with the Idaho Air National Guard.

“His daughter is there, and my son takes care of us in Idaho,” Lisa Ramirez said. “Can you imagine the power these people are giving us all as a whole?”

Lisa said she could hardly find the words to describe how much she admires her brother.

“I was so proud of him when he was there the first time and even more so for what he believes in today, as he is back in Afghanistan today.”

Roger first entered the military in 1985 and retired after seven years of military service in the Marines. He re-enlisted with the Army in 2007 and now serves as a sniper in an Airborne unit.

At 44 years old, Roger said the other soldiers in boot camp made fun of him, calling him the “old man.”

“The joke was on them, as my brother did not only participate in exercise but he ran marathons, ran Robie Creek, loved to climb mountains, box, and rode his bike all over Nampa,” Lisa said.

Ramirez was a newlywed when he re-enlisted, having just married Fanny Ramirez in May 2007. The couple married in Fanny’s country of Colombia, where she is awaiting her visa so she and her young son José can come to the U.S. and have a second wedding.

Roger has traveled to Colombia, but his relatives here in Canyon County have never had the chance to meet their new family members.

Despite the temptation of starting a new married life with his family nearby, Roger chose to reenlist. Lisa said their family roots may have laid a foundation that led her brother to choose this path.

By the age of 11, Lisa and her brother were working in the fields of Idaho, Oregon and California. Their parents immigrated from Mexico.

“I’m grateful my mom and dad worked in the fields. If anything, our parents taught us to stand strong and fight the fight,” Lisa said. “They taught us to work. We have family values that stood us up to fight the fight of what is right and what is wrong.”

Ellie