News Story re: Our Local Fallen Hero, Cristian Rojas-Gallego

This appeared in today's Loganville Tribune.

Soldier’s wife: ‘He was my angel’

By Sharon Swanepoel

The Loganville Tribune

Published August 10, 2007

LOGANVILLE — To Megan Rojas-Gallego, the 20-year-old widow of Loganville fallen soldier Spc. Cristian Rojas-Gallego, theirs was a beautiful love story cut tragically short long before its time.“He was my angel — the most wonderful man you could ever hope to meet,” said Rojas, which is the name the family goes by. “We never had an argument — not one in the whole time we were together. I was lucky enough to be married to the most wonderful man in the world and now I will have to get used to going on without him. God must have needed him for another mission — his mission here is complete now.”

The U.S. Army announced Sunday the 24-year-old soldier was one of three soldiers from the Stryker Brigade Combat Division out of Fort Lewis, Wash. killed Aug. 2 when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle. Cristian Rojas had been a Marine first and was on his fourth tour of duty in Iraq when he was killed in action after re-enlisting with the Army in 2006.

His young widow said she is relying on her strong faith and the support of family and friends, in particular those on the base at Fort Lewis, Wash. where she hopes to remain for the time being.“I believe God puts you where he knows you need to be and I am surrounded by a wonderful circle of friends here,” Rojas said. The love story began two years ago today, when Rojas was a young single mom with two small boys. She first met her husband while he was a Marine stationed at Twentynine Palms Marine Corps in California.“I didn’t even know what a Marine was then,” the California native said. “I was at a friend’s (house) dropping off clothes and he was there. I thought he was an attractive man at first and then found out what a wonderful person he was. We were married three months later on Nov. 9, 2005.”

Rojas said her husband completely accepted her two boys, Raymond 3, and Taylor 2, as his own and was thrilled two months ago when she gave birth to their son, Eric, who she said is the spitting image of his dad.“I am going to change his name to Cristian — Cristian Jose Rojas to honor his father,” she said. “I have to be strong for the boys now. He had a great life — a wife he loved and three beautiful boys. I should have known it was too perfect.” Rojas said she had spoken to her husband over a video camera six hours before he was killed and she is grateful to have had that opportunity. She said they only spoke about the possibility of him not coming home once — when he had filled out the paperwork before being shipped out.“I never wanted to speak about it and we just didn’t expect it to happen — he had already been to Iraq three times before,” Rojas said. “But he told me he didn’t want me crying alone in a dark room if anything did happen. ‘You will need to be strong for my boys.’ So that’s what I need to do.”

Rojas said she does regret that her husband, a Columbian immigrant, never managed to complete his citizenship papers before his death.“He was so proud of his service,” she said. “He said it was an honor to serve this country and he was proud he was keeping us safe. He really deserves to be made a citizen. He was supposed to put the papers in but I don’t know if he did before coming back when our son was born. He left to go back June 27 and was only back 36 days when he was killed.”

Derrick Corbett, deputy chief of staff for U.S. Rep. John Linder, (R-7) said there is a way Rojas can petition for her husband’s citizenship posthumously if the papers had not been filed.“It is Form N-644 — Application for Posthumous Citizenship and can be filed by the spouse or parent,” Corbett said.

Loganville Mayor Tim Barron said he had spoken to Georgia Sen. John Douglas to see what could be done to ensure citizenship for the young immigrant who had paid the ultimate price for his adopted country. The couple had lived in Loganville with the soldier’s parents for four months in 2006 before he re-enlisted with the Army.

Prayers continue for this family. (((hugs and love to them alll)))