Army Spc. Ismael G. Solorio

Died April 9, 2007 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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21, of San Luis, Ariz.; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 17th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.; died April 9 in Baghdad when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Also killed were Pfc. Brian L. Holden and Pvt. Brett A. Walton.

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San Luis native killed in Iraq

The Associated Press

YUMA, Ariz. — A soldier from San Luis who survived two previous injuries while deployed in Iraq has been killed in action during his third combat tour, a family member said.

The family of Army Sgt. Ismael Solorio, 21, was told of his death by military officials April 9, said his younger brother, Jesus Solorio.

The military has not officially confirmed his death, following a policy of waiting at least 24 hours after the family is notified before making an announcement.

“I was shocked,” said Jesus Solorio, an English tutor at Arizona Western College in San Luis.

Ismael Solorio was assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, based at Fort Carson, Colo., and had been serving in Baghdad. He was recently married and had a young daughter.

Ismael Solorio was last home in January, when he took a week’s leave to see his daughter and get married, his brother said.

Jesus Solorio said he doesn’t know the details of how his brother died.

“I didn’t want to know. My family knows more than I do.”

The son of migrant farm workers, Solorio turned down several college scholarships to join the Army after graduating from Kofa High School in 2003, according to his brother.

“He made us so proud,” Jesus Solorio said. “I remember he was only 17 then so he needed our parents’ signature to enlist.”

Ismael Solorio was wounded twice in Iraq during his previous two deployments, shot once in the head by a sniper and hit in the hand by shrapnel from a roadside bomb, his brother said.

“The first time we were told to expect the worst because he was gravely injured,” Jesus said. “He got shot through the cheek and shattered his jaw. He didn’t have any teeth.”

Ismael Solorio was awarded a Purple Heart for each of the injuries, according to his brother.

In addition to his brother, wife and daughter, Solorio is survived by his parents, Ismael and Amelia Solorio of San Luis, two sisters and another brother.

The deaths of two other soldiers with Arizona ties were confirmed by the military this week. Pvt. Damian Lopez Rodriguez of Tucson and Spc. Ryan Scott Michael Dallam, an Oklahoma resident who graduated from Show Low High School in Show Low, were killed April 6 in Baghdad in an explosion.