Ramona M. Valdez
Encyclopedia
Corporal Ramona M. Valdez (June 26, 1984-June 23, 2005) was a United States Marine
who was posthumously honored by the Marine Corps when the II MEF Communications Training Center was dedicated as the Valdez Training Facility.
from the Dominican Republic
and raised her two daughters, Ramona and Fiorela Valdez, on her own in the Bronx. There the Valdez sisters received their primary and secondary education. Ramona Valdez started to earn money to help her family at a young age. She was only 14 years old when she worked for the first time selling concessions at the Statue of Liberty
. Valdez graduated from Jane Addams High School when she was 15 years old. Valdez attended community college however, she decided to join the Marine Corps to help her family economically and when she was 17, she convinced her mother to co-sign her enlistment papers.
at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island
, South Carolina
. After she graduated from her recruit training, she was sent to Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune
, North Carolina
where she became a communications specialist. There she met Corporal Armando Guzman who in 2003 became her husband. Valdez was assigned to the Counter Improvised Explosive Device Working Group of the 2nd Marine Division. Her knowledge of single-channel radios contributed to the success of the tests conducted by CIEDWG.
from the Bronx, because she believed that Reading would have less noise and crime. She had even filled out application forms to become a highway patrol officer in Pennsylvania upon her discharge from the Marines. On June 23, 2005, she was serving with the Female Search Force where she helped guard checkpoints and search Iraqi women and children. Her convoy was on its way back to Camp Fallujah when a suicide bomber in a car, veered across a road and swerved directly into the convoy, causing a massive explosion that killed Valdez and two other women and three men, severely burning seven other women. When she was killed she was four days short of her 21st birthday.
On June 1, 2007, the United States Marine Corps honored the memory of Cpl. Valdez by dedicating the II MEF Communications Training Center as the Valdez Training Facility during a building dedication ceremony. The building has a plaque with Valdez's name inscribed. During the ceremony Colonel John A. Del Colliano, the division chief for network plans and policy for Command, Control, Communications and Computers, Headquarters Marine Corps, stated:
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
who was posthumously honored by the Marine Corps when the II MEF Communications Training Center was dedicated as the Valdez Training Facility.
Early years
Valdez's mother, Elida Nuñez immigrated to New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
from the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
and raised her two daughters, Ramona and Fiorela Valdez, on her own in the Bronx. There the Valdez sisters received their primary and secondary education. Ramona Valdez started to earn money to help her family at a young age. She was only 14 years old when she worked for the first time selling concessions at the Statue of Liberty
Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886...
. Valdez graduated from Jane Addams High School when she was 15 years old. Valdez attended community college however, she decided to join the Marine Corps to help her family economically and when she was 17, she convinced her mother to co-sign her enlistment papers.
Military career
Valdez, received her basic trainingUnited States Marine Corps Boot Camp
United States Marine Corps Recruit Training, commonly known as "boot camp", is a program of initial training that each recruit must successfully complete in order to join the United States Marine Corps...
at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island
Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island
Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island is an military installation located within Port Royal, South Carolina, approximately south of Beaufort, the community that is typically associated with the installation. MCRD Parris Island is used for the training of enlisted Marines...
, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
. After she graduated from her recruit training, she was sent to Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune
Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune
Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune is a United States military training facility in North Carolina. The base's of beaches make it a major area for amphibious assault training, and its location between two deep-water ports allows for fast deployments.The main base is supplemented by five satellite...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
where she became a communications specialist. There she met Corporal Armando Guzman who in 2003 became her husband. Valdez was assigned to the Counter Improvised Explosive Device Working Group of the 2nd Marine Division. Her knowledge of single-channel radios contributed to the success of the tests conducted by CIEDWG.
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Valdez was deployed to Iraq as a member of Headquarters Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Valdez wanted her mother to move to Reading, PennsylvaniaReading, Pennsylvania
Reading is a city in southeastern Pennsylvania, USA, and seat of Berks County. Reading is the principal city of the Greater Reading Area and had a population of 88,082 as of the 2010 census, making it the fifth most populated city in the state after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown and Erie,...
from the Bronx, because she believed that Reading would have less noise and crime. She had even filled out application forms to become a highway patrol officer in Pennsylvania upon her discharge from the Marines. On June 23, 2005, she was serving with the Female Search Force where she helped guard checkpoints and search Iraqi women and children. Her convoy was on its way back to Camp Fallujah when a suicide bomber in a car, veered across a road and swerved directly into the convoy, causing a massive explosion that killed Valdez and two other women and three men, severely burning seven other women. When she was killed she was four days short of her 21st birthday.
Legacy
Valdez was buried with full military honors. She is survived by her husband Armando Guzman, her mother Elida Nuñez, father Louis Valdez, younger sisters Fiorela Valdez, Estefani Valdez and two nephews Justin and Joshua.On June 1, 2007, the United States Marine Corps honored the memory of Cpl. Valdez by dedicating the II MEF Communications Training Center as the Valdez Training Facility during a building dedication ceremony. The building has a plaque with Valdez's name inscribed. During the ceremony Colonel John A. Del Colliano, the division chief for network plans and policy for Command, Control, Communications and Computers, Headquarters Marine Corps, stated:
"Her legacy will live on here for years to come", "Her name will be associated at a crossroads for communications in the Marine Corps"
Awards and decorations
Among Ramona M. Valdez's awards and decorations are the following:| Purple Heart Purple Heart The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York... |
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| National Defense Service Medal National Defense Service Medal The National Defense Service Medal is a military service medal of the United States military originally commissioned by President Dwight D. Eisenhower... |
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal Global War on Terrorism Service Medal The Global War on Terrorism Service Medal is a military award of the United States military which was created by Executive Order 13289 of President George W. Bush on March 12, 2003... |
Iraq Campaign Medal Iraq Campaign Medal The Iraq Campaign Medal is a military award of the United States armed forces which was created by Executive Order 13363 of President George W. Bush on November 29, 2004. The Iraq Campaign Medal was designed by the U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry.... |
See also
- Hispanics in the United States Marine CorpsHispanics in the United States Marine CorpsHispanics in the United States Marine Corps, such as Private France Silva who during the Boxer Rebellion became the first Marine of the thirteen Marines of Hispanic descent to be awarded the Medal of Honor, and Private First Class Guy Gabaldon who is credited with capturing over 1,000 enemy...