Marine honored on Capitol Hill

Paul Clinton

Jose Garibay was a “proud American” and hero.

That is how those who represented him in the state and federal

governments remembered him this week.

Garibay, a Marine corporal from Costa Mesa who was killed in

southern Iraq on Sunday, was honored by both his representatives in

public remarks on two separate occasions.

On Thursday on the floor of the House of Representatives, Rep.

Dana Rohrabacher said Garibay “is now an American hero.” He was the

first Orange County soldier killed during the war in Iraq.

The 21-year-old Garibay grew up in Costa Mesa, graduated from

Newport Harbor High School and then joined the military. He died near

Nasiriyah in an ambush, along with six others.

“Corporal Garibay’s supreme sacrifice will not be forgotten,”

Rohrabacher said, “and he will be honored alongside the many brave

Americans who have gone before him in defending family, freedom and

country.”

Garibay, who was born in Jalisco, Mexico, was a legal U.S.

resident. His mother Simona, 51, brought her family to the United

States when Jose was just 2 months old.

State Sen. Ross Johnson honored Garibay on Thursday by closing the

legislative session in his honor.

“His ambition was to become an American citizen and to pursue a

career as a police officer,” Johnson said. “Last week, in a letter to

a former teacher, he wrote, ‘I want to defend the country I plan to

become a citizen of.’”

Costa Mesa’s Assemblyman, Ken Maddox, asked the lower house to

close its Tuesday session in Garibay’s memory. Maddox also lauded

Garibay’s sacrifice for the country.

“He’s a great American,” Maddox said. “He has done more for our

country than all the student war protesters put together.”