Army Spc. John Carrillo Jr.

Died September 24, 2010 Serving During Operation New Dawn

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20, of Stockton, Calif.; assigned to 3rd Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.; died Sept. 24 in Fallujah, Iraq, of injuries sustained Sept. 23 in a non-combat-related incident. Also killed was Pfc. Gebrah P. Noonan.

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Soldier wanted to be able to help his family

The Associated Press

John Carillo’s mother said he was a smart, avid reader who grew up fast as he entered fatherhood at 16.

As a student at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, Calif., he met an Army recruiter who pushed the 20-year-old to fulfill a lifelong goal of serving in the military.

“He thought this was going to help his family a little faster. It was a way to support his wife and his child,” his mother, Desiree Carillo, told the Stockton Record. “I was very proud of him when he decided to go into the military.”

Carillo died Sept. 24 in Fallujah, Iraq, after being injured a day earlier in a non-combat related incident.

He is survived by his children and his wife, Reylene; his mother and father, Desiree and John Carillo Sr.; and three younger siblings.

“He was always there for his family. He was a good son, a good father, a good brother and a good husband. I will never get to see that again. He was a good friend to many people,” Desiree Carillo said.