Army Cpl. Tony J. Gonzales

Died December 28, 2008 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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20, of Newman, Calif.; died Dec. 28 in Sadr City, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division, Baumholder, Germany,

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Spc. slain in Iraq was ‘perfect gentleman’

The Associated Press

The youngest of four children, Tony J. Gonzales went along with almost anything his older sisters wanted him to do. When he was about 8 years old, he would play dress-up with them or would let them tie him to his dad’s desk chair and spin him around.

“Until he got bigger than us, he couldn’t do anything about it,” said Tammy Runzel, one of his three sisters.

Gonzales, 20, of Newman, Calif., died Dec. 28 in Sadr City when a bomb detonated near his vehicle. He was a 2006 high school graduate and was assigned to Baumholder, Germany.

“He wanted to go there to help out his country,” Runzel said. “He had such a great attitude while he was over there. He was proud of what he was doing.”

He grew up to become a perfect gentleman. His sisters said he always reached to open a door for a lady and always grabbed the dinner check.

He wanted to be just like his dad, who retired after working 26 years for the Los Gatos police. The Gonzales’ plan was to finish his service with the Army and come back to join the Los Gatos Police Department.

He also is survived by his mother, Marylynn.