Last US Marine Died In Afghanistan Returned, Greeted By Hundreds

Documentation - Donald Trump as President of the United States pays his last respects to the remains of a US military soldier who died in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan/Antara

JAKARTA - US Marine Sergeant Johanny Rosario returned to his hometown of Massachusetts in a coffin on Saturday, September 11, one of the last American soldiers to die in Afghanistan during the war that began exactly two decades ago by the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Several hundred people gathered near Farrah's Funeral Home in Lawrence, Massachusetts, where Rosario's body arrived in a black hearse accompanied by police motorbikes. Uniformed Marines carried caskets to funeral homes, as the veterans in the crowd -- some of whom had not worn uniforms for years -- drew attention.

"We came out because he was a hero to us," said Mary Beth Chosse, who waited a few hours with her 12-year-old son, Gavin. Chosse's eldest son is an active-duty Marine. "Sergeant Rosary's sacrifice and bravery must always be remembered."

Rosario, 25, was among 13 members of the US military killed last month in a suicide bomb attack outside Hamid Karzai International Airport in the Afghan capital, Kabul. He was helping check on refugees at a checkpoint at the airport's Monastery Gate when the bomb ripped through the crowd.

About 7,100 US military personnel have died in conflict related to the September 11 attacks, with about 2,500 of those deaths occurring in Afghanistan, according to the Costs of War project at Brown University's Watson Institute. The financial costs of these conflicts amount to nearly $6 trillion (Rp85.5 quadrillion), according to the project.

Like most Americans, Sheila Arias, 41, remembers September 11, 2001 very clearly. He was at a hair salon in Lawrence when he watched the twin towers of New York's World Trade Center collapse after al Qaeda hijackers seized control of two planes and crashed them into buildings. The hijacked plane will also hit the Pentagon outside Washington and a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Arias soon after enlisted in the U.S. Army, leaving a comfortable steady job as a clerk in Lawrence's water department to join the military's efforts to eradicate al Qaeda.

"There's no problem that I have to serve," said Arias. "I'm sure Johanny Rosario feels the same way."

'Always remember the name'

Rosario, who was 5 years old when the attack occurred, began his service years later, when the United States was already heavily involved in Afghanistan.

Shortly after graduating from high school in 2014, he enlisted and landed in the 5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade.

Eventually she will become head of supply, a role usually held by more senior noncommissioned officers, according to the Marines, and volunteer to become a member of the women's engagement team to interact with Afghan women, who are forbidden by local custom to talk to foreign men. .

Just three months before his death, he was recognized with appreciation for his attention to detail and expertise in tracking and reconciling a $400,000 (Rp 5.7 billion) open supply request.

On Saturday, a group of friends from Lawrence High School gathered near the steps of the funeral home. Wearing black face masks, they spoke of Rosario's desire to serve his country, take college courses and financially support his family.

One of the women, who like the others declined to give her name, was holding a framed photo of the Rosary in a formal gown.

"I can't talk. I'm just going to cry," the woman said.

Like many residents of Lawrence, a working-class city about 48 km north of Boston with a strong Hispanic community, Rosario's roots extend to the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, said William Lantigua, a former mayor of the city who knows his family.

Rosario leaves behind a mother and a younger sister.

On Saturday, Maria Ogando joined the crowd that gathered to pay homage to Rosario after an hour's drive from Worcester, Massachusetts with her family. His daughter, 9-year-old Kayla, wore a T-shirt with Rosario's full name on the back.

"He was a hero and I was so sad to see him die," Kayla said. "But I will always remember his name and what he did for our country."