Army Spc. Roland E. Calderon-Ascencio

Died April 12, 2006 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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21, of Miami; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 67th Armored Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died April 12 of injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee during combat operations in Misiab, Iraq. Also killed was Spc. Scott M. Bandhold.

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Perrine soldier’s enlistment stunned family

The Associated Press

MIAMI — A soldier from Miami-Dade County was killed when a bomb exploded near his vehicle during combat operations in Iraq, military officials said Friday.

Pfc. Roland E. Calderon-Ascencio, 21, died after the improvised bomb detonated near his Humvee on Wednesday in Misiab, Iraq, the Department of Defense said.

Also killed was Spc. Scott M. Bandhold, 37, of North Merrick, N.Y. The soldiers were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 67th Armored Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

Calderon, of Perrine in southwest Miami-Dade County, is survived by his wife Mirta and 9-month-old twin boys, Rolandito and A.J., who live in Killeen, Texas. Family members said the couple met as Army recruits.

Born in California, Calderon and his family moved to El Salvador when he was 2 before settling in South Florida when he was 5.

His decision to join the Army surprised the family, said his father, Saul Rauda, who served in the military in El Salvador.

“When he said he was joining the military, we were all stunned,” Rauda told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. “We all tried to convince him not to go. All of us. But he said it was his duty to his country and that he was going to get a free education so none of us would have to work.”

After he severely injured his ankle in a childhood biking accident, Calderon focused on academics instead of sports, eventually making the honor roll at Southridge High School, his mother said. But before enlisting in 2004, he spent weeks jogging to lose weight, she said.

“He wanted to be a poet, a businessman, even a model at one point,” Rosa Milagros Ascencio said. “The military thing came from nowhere.”

Calderon deployed to Iraq on Nov. 27, and last called home on Jan. 29 to ask his mother to send him Doritos, which he used as poker chips in card games with other soldiers, family members said.