Army Sgt. Jose Regalado

Died November 12, 2008 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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23, of Los Angeles; assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Hood, Texas; died Nov. 12 in Mosul, Iraq, when an Iraqi Army soldier wearing a uniform approached and opened fire. Also killed was Spc. Corey M. Shea.

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Sergeant remembered for devotion to daughter

The Associated Press

Sgt. Jose Regalado’s lucky charm was his daughter, even before she was born. He carried around ultrasounds of his baby girl in Iraq.

“I’m just glad to be home and finally go from this to an actual human being, someone that cries,” he said when he returned to the U.S. between tours.

Regalado, 23, of Los Angeles, died Nov. 12 in Mosul from small-arms fire. He was working toward an associate’s degree from Troy State University and was assigned to Fort Hood.

When he arrived at the airport to meet his 2-month-old daughter, Jaimie, and wife, Sharri, he confessed: “I tried to play it cool the whole time, even though I was really excited deep down. My wife gets mad at me for doing that because even though I’m excited I try to play it cool because I’m Mr. Tough Guy.”

He loved anything to do with cars and trucks. He always told his wife that if he was going to die, he wanted to go out in battle.

“I don’t want anyone to have to puree my food,” he would say. “If they do, you better believe I’m going to tell them to put a shot of vodka in it and to knock me out.”