Army Pfc. Ramon Villatoro Jr., 19, Bakersfield; Among 4 Killed in Bombing

Ramon Villatoro Jr., 19, had a dream that danced beyond his reach. He wanted to become a doctor and help the needy in his hometown, Bakersfield.

He, like scores of others, saw the Army as the best way to achieve his goal. First, he would climb the ranks, becoming a colonel, he told friends. Then he would go to medical school. On July 24, the private first class was killed when a bomb detonated near his Bradley fighting vehicle in Baghdad. It was almost exactly a year after Villatoro joined the Army.

Born in California, Villatoro was the son of Salvadoran and Mexican immigrants. His father, Ramon Sr., 40, was a construction worker; his mother, Margarita, 41, ironed for a cleaning service.

Ramon and Margarita Villatoro learned of their eldest son’s death July 31, when an Army sergeant knocked on the door. “A piece of my heart is gone with him,” Ramon Villatoro Sr. said. “But I’m so proud of him because he died a hero.” Margarita Villatoro said her son “was a person who made every moment special.” His 18-year-old brother, Fernely, vowed to join the Army and fight in Iraq, a family friend said.

In December, Ramon Villatoro Jr. married his high school sweetheart, Amanda. Soon after he shipped out for Iraq, Amanda learned that she was pregnant. The couple’s baby is due in November.

On Sept. 11, 2001, Villatoro watched the destruction of the World Trade Center on television. His mother thought he was watching one of the action movies that he so liked. He corrected her, explaining the nation was under attack. He became determined to enlist. “I have to do something for my country,” he told her.

Margarita Villatoro recalled the day -- July 28, 2004 -- that her son said goodbye and left for basic training. He was excited and proud. She was scared. He hugged his mother and told her, “I’m not a coward.”

Crystal Villatoro, 11, remembered thinking that her big brother was always brave. She and her sister Misty, 13, had always thought so.

At Foothill High School, Villatoro was a linebacker for the football team. In one game, he scored a touchdown and was tackled by three large players. Crystal remembered panicking as her brother lay sprawled on the field with what turned out to be a broken leg. But he just pooh-poohed the family’s concerns, and joked about celebrating his new cast and crutches, she said.

Villatoro liked softball and cars; he loved to sing and dance. He was charismatic and friendly, family members said. At school, friends called Villatoro “G-Unit” or “Unit Boy,” after his favorite rap group. And in an area once plagued by gangs, he was able to avoid joining or being jumped by one.

“He was just a happy-go-lucky kid who had big dreams in a neighborhood that’s economically depressed,” said Al Capilla, principal of Sierra Middle School, which Villatoro once attended.

Villatoro wanted to help his family and his community, Capilla said. When Villatoro announced that he intended to join the Army, Capilla tried to dissuade him. He told him about scholarships he could try to tap. Other paths could lead to medical school, Capilla remembered saying. Finally, unable to persuade Villatoro, Capilla told him: “Ramon, I have a really bad feeling about this.” But Ramon Villatoro pulled himself up tall and addressed Capilla by an affectionate nickname. “Mr. C,” he said, “This is what I have to do.”

The bomb that killed Villatoro also claimed the lives of three others -- all from Villatoro’s 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment at Ft. Carson, Colo. The “3/3,” as it is known among soldiers, has suffered 23 casualties since it deployed last spring for a one-year stint in Iraq, said Lt. Col. Dave Johnson, a spokesman.