Army Cpl. Tony Carrasco Jr.

Died November 4, 2009 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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25, of Berino, N.M.; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.; died Nov. 4 in Ad Dawr, Iraq, of a gunshot wound sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit.

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Teachers say he was a hard-working student

The Associated Press

At Gadsden High School in Anthony, N.M., Tony Carrasco was remembered as a hard worker who didn’t cause problems.

“He was an ag student who was involved in the horticulture program here,” said principal Carey Chambers, who arrived at the school after Carrasco graduated but heard teachers’ memories of him. “By all accounts of everyone we talked to, he was a good kid.”

Carrasco, 25, of Berino, N.M., died Nov. 4 in Ad Dawr, Iraq, when he was shot during an attack. He was assigned to Fort Riley, Kan.

His sister, Susana, wrote in an online message board that she remembered her brother’s jokes and all the times he told her to be strong and not take life for granted.

“Those are the things that help me go on. I am very proud of you. You are my HERO!” she wrote.

Carrasco graduated from high school in 2003 and entered the Army in January 2008. A field artillery specialist, he deployed to Iraq earlier this fall.

He is survived by his wife, Johana Lizeth Martinez Gavaldon-Carrasco; stepson, Axel Antonio; stepdaughter, Ilse Iveth; parents, Antonio and Juana Carrasco; and sisters, Rosalia, Susana and Jessica.