Marine Pfc. Eric A. Ayon

Died April 9, 2004 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

26, of Arleta, Calif.; assigned to 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; killed April 9 by hostile fire in Anbar province, Iraq.

* * * * *

Mexican singer joins funeral for Glendale Marine

Associated Press

GLENDALE, Calif. — Pfc. Eric Ayon loved the music of Mexican singer Lipillo Rivera, so it was fitting that Rivera serenaded nearly 400 mourners Saturday at the Marine’s funeral.

Ayon, 26, was killed during a fierce gunbattle April 9 in the Al Anbar province of Iraq, where he was stationed. Ayon was with the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton.

Ayon brought Rivera’s records with him to Iraq to remind him of home and his family thought having Rivera at his funeral would have pleased their son.

Rivera cut short a vacation to sing at Ayon’s funeral.

“He was a fan of mine and bought my records,” Rivera told KCBS-TV. “But little did he know that I was a fan of his as well. He was a Marine. I support our troops.”

On Monday, Ayon’s 7-year-old son Joshua received a birthday card his father had mailed from Iraq before his death.

In it, Ayon wrote, “Being your dad is the coolest thing I’ve ever done in my life. ... I’m sorry I’m not there with you today. I love you and will always be around.”

Friends and family remembered Ayon as a devoted father who also gave back to his community. Before joining the military last summer, he worked as a youth counselor helping kids keep away from drugs and gangs, his family said.

Ayon is survived by his wife, Angie; his son, Joshua; his father, Enrique; his mother, Maria; and sisters Cynthia and Jasmine.

* * * * *

Camp Pendleton Marine killed in Iraq

LOS ANGELES — Marine Pfc. Eric Ayon loved kids.

Before joining the military last summer, he worked as a youth counselor helping kids keep away from drugs and gangs and, instead, pursue a successful career.

“He loved doing it,” Angie, his high school sweetheart and wife of eight years, said Monday. “He loved being able to touch a lot of people. He was a wonderful father. He had such big heart. All the kids loved him.”

Ayon, 26, was killed Friday in a gun battle in the Al Anbar province of Iraq. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force in Camp Pendleton.

He loved taking his 7-year-old son Joshua to the Chuck E. Cheese and Olive Garden restaurants. A birthday card the Marine sent his son arrived Monday, the day his family mourned his death.

“Being your dad is the coolest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” the card read. “You being my son makes me a better man. I’m sorry I’m not there with you today. I love you and I will always be around.”

Ayon played with G.I. Joe action figures as a boy and dreamed of becoming a Marine to fight for his country.

His sister Cynthia was proud of his accomplishments. “He’s a real Marine. That was his dream ever since he was small. He did it,” she said.

In February, Ayon’s family saw him before he left for Iraq.

“I always thought he was going to come back home,” his wife Angie said. “I just thought he was going to come back home because he was strong and he was a survivor. We will all miss him.”

His body is being transported back to Southern California, and his family plans to hold a funeral in Glendale. It may take place this weekend.

He also is survived by his father, Enrique; mother, Maria; and sister, Jasmine, 15.

— Associated Press