Private First Class Leroy Sandoval, Jr., age 21, and in the 2nd Battalion/1st Marines, joined U.S. Marine Corps in May, 2003. Less than a year after being stationed at Camp Pendleton in California, Leroy was deployed to Kuwait. From there, he was sent to Fallujah, Iraq on March 20, 2004. Four days later, the Marine Corps 2/1 unit officially took over a stronghold of the Baath Party which had been the personal resort of Saddam Hussein, nicknamed “Dreamland.” The opulent fortress was renamed Camp Baharia, from the Arabic words mushaat al-baharia meaning “walkers of the navy” when the Marine Corps took it over from the 82nd Airborne. On March 26, 2004, Leroy found himself finishing patrols for the day as a machine gunner on the lead Humvee for his platoon: Palerider 3. Thus, the beginning of the tragedy in Fallujah.
Leroy’s mother, Zaida, originally from Costa Rica, was the eleventh child of twelve siblings. She was saved at the age of twelve before she immigrated to the United States in 1974 at the age of thirteen with her parents and youngest sister so that her “Poppi” could receive medical care for his heart.
She married Leroy’s biological father in 1980 and gave birth to Leroy in 1982 and his sister Amy in 1987. Zaida describes both of her children as her “miracle babies” because she had difficulties getting pregnant. She laughed as she shared about the first time she saw Leroy, “The nurse took me to a corner of the nursery where Leroy was by himself. He was the ugliest little thing, with skin like an alligator…all rough. He had big veins on his bald head and breathed so horribly. When I saw him, I started crying, but I fell in love with him instantly because he was mine.” Her love never wavered, but she was relieved that he grew to be such a cute little boy and a very handsome young man.
When Leroy was seven, Zaida became a single mother when her husband left the family in 1990. They divorced several years later. Zaida stated, “I couldn’t get an apartment because I didn’t make enough money. So Amy’s teacher put her salary with mine so that I could qualify. It worked, but the apartment was in the worst part of town. It was the only thing I could get.” Despite the fact that the area surrounding her apartment was notorious for drugs and violence, Zaida always felt safe because “God was protecting us,” she reflected. During this time, Zaida worked three jobs to support herself and her children. Zaida smiled as she said, “Throughout that time, Leroy, Jr. was always very responsible and over-protective of us.” He would earn money to help his mom by mowing lawns and unbeknownst to her, selling Zaida’s homemade cookies to the neighbors. When he saw his little sister, Amy, frantically looking for her father during her Kindergarten graduation, Leroy said, “Mom don’t worry. I am going to take you and Amy out to eat with my money.” Zaida never forgot that Wendy’s meal when they ate those $1 hamburgers.
In 1996, Steve Walters, 35, was the business manager at Harvest Christian Academy where Zaida worked as a teacher’s aide. Steve laughed as he shared, “If you had asked me back then if I would marry a woman with children, I would have said, ‘No, way!’ When I found out she had a fourteen year old son and nine year old daughter, I thought, ‘I can’t believe this!’” Despite any of Steve’s misgivings to becoming an instant father, they married the following year and he happily adopted Amy in February, 2004. Leroy was close to Steve, but he told him that he felt that he was just too old to be adopted.
Steve said that despite a good education and employment opportunities, “Leroy realized that he had a clear calling on his life, and he was determined that he would join the Marine Corps.” Before Leroy’s deployment overseas, he gave away many personal items, including his Bible, knife, guitar and bed. Zaida was upset about this, but Steve felt that he was at a clear transition point in his life. Leroy also left a mixed-lab puppy for Steve that was named “Houston Texan,” as well as a hidden Christmas gift for his 16 year old sister, Amy.
On Wednesday, March 24, 2004, the day the Marines took over Camp Baharia, Leroy called home on a satellite phone from out in the field. After speaking with his mother, Leroy asked to speak to Amy. Zaida shared that conversation, “I said, ‘Leroy, are you kidding? It is three o’clock in the morning here!’ He said, ‘Mom, please wake up Amy. I need to talk to her.’ He told Amy to finish school and be good to mom.” Leroy had also called a week earlier while she was home for Spring Break. Zaida recalled, “Leroy said, ‘Mom, I am calling you because I want you to pray for me.’ I said to him, ‘Leroy, you are my son. I have always prayed for you since before you were born and I will always pray for you. Baby, you are going to be okay.’ He said, ‘Mom, this is different. We are going in to a real bad city. This is like Hell and I want to go home more than anything in the world, but I want to go home the way I left. I don’t want to go home in a wheelchair or without a face or without legs. I want you to pray for me for God’s will in my life.’” Zaida cried as she admitted, “I felt guilty after that because I did what he asked and prayed for God’s will and then I regretted it because I really did not want to give him totally to God.”
On March 26, 2004, Zaida recalled that she was having a picnic at school with her students, she recalled, “All of a sudden it felt like someone grabbed my stomach and turned it inside out. I was in pain because it hurt and I started crying, ‘Leroy, Leroy, Leroy!’ One of the teachers said, ‘Now, Zaida, you know how many people are praying for that boy. He is going to be fine!’” That evening, Zaida went to a ladies Bible study at the First Baptist Church of LaPorte. Steve returned late that evening from a friend’s house and noticed a truck sitting in front of the neighbor’s house. As he entered the back door, he immediately heard someone ringing the doorbell. Steve recalled, “I looked out the half-moon shaped window at the top of the front door and saw two dress white Marine caps and I was in shock!”
On Friday evening, March 26, 2004, Leroy’s platoon, Palerider 3, was set in blocking formation at a major intersection within visible range of their base parameter at Camp Baharia. They were stationed to protect platoons coming home for the evening. Suddenly, bullets and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) were coming in all around and among the Marines. They engaged the enemy 17 to 30 meters from roof tops. Additionally, there was a vehicle circling the platoon which was firing on them. It was a surprise ambush! Official papers from the department of the Navy, as well as from the acting field commander reported that Leroy was the only one able to return successful, suppressing cover fire that allowed the rest of the patrol to gain cover. It said that he had to clear a jam in his machine gun several times, but continued to fire on the enemy. Sadly, Leroy was to be the first Marine killed in combat at Fallujah from Texas during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Leroy was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal.
Zaida wiped the tears from her eyes as she shared, “It just breaks my heart because Leroy tried so hard to fight back. There is no doubt in my heart that this was God’s plan for Leroy even if I still don’t agree with Him, but God is God. It took me a while, but now I can see it because I am His child and so was Leroy. I feel like Leroy was chosen to do something great since before he was born.”
Eighteen months after Steve and Zaida joined Sagemont Church, they sat in the Hughes Road Auditorium (HRA) as Senior Pastor, Dr. John Morgan performed their son’s funeral. Amid their great sorrow, they were very glad that God was glorified and that the gift of salvation was explained to the packed worship center. Leroy was then buried in the Sagemont Church section at the Forest Lawn Cemetery. Zaida shared, “I didn’t want to put him in the Veteran’s Cemetery because he was my son before he was a Marine!”
The loss of her son was very difficult for Zaida, despite her deep faith in God. Zaida was very involved with the American Gold Star Mothers, which is an organization of mothers who have lost a son or daughter in the service of our country. She suffered several years from severe depression causing her to have difficulty with reading, and resulting in her having to resign from her job. Zaida described it this way, “My brain was just blocked!” She credits doctors and treatment for helping her during that time as well as her involvement at Sagemont worship services and the Tuesday night M&M Women’s Bible Study program. She shared, “I still couldn’t read with good ability at that time, but the ladies said to me, ‘Zaida, just come and relax and stay here!’ So, I did and it made a difference in my life.”
Steve and Zaida have remained faithful members at Sagemont Church. Amy is now raising her three year old daughter, Alyssa, with the help of her parents and is a Registered Nurse at Texas Children’s Hospital. Zaida is once again working with children in AdventureLand and Playschool.
In the eleven and a half years since Leroy’s death, Steve and Zaida have participated in many events from Houston and the surrounding area to our nation’s capital in Washington, D.C. Steve shared, “We have been in the middle of parades and have had ceremonies for Leroy, like the wall in Strawberry Park in Pasadena, Texas with Leroy’s picture.” The owners of Gringo’s Mexican Kitchen, who had financially supported Leroy from age nine to eighteen and considered him a part of their family, dedicated their “original” Pearland location to Leroy with a plaque at the front of their restaurant commemorating his valor and courage. Sagemont Church honors Leroy and the other “Fallen Heroes of our Military” in the Freedom Room just inside the entrance to the Adventureland Building. Not only does this room house the life-sized replica of the Liberty Bell and each flag from each branch of the military, there is also a large screen TV where you can see Leroy along with the many other men and women who have given their lives in service of our country.
The Walters have also had many personal encounters with those honoring Leroy. Steve stated, “We have been a part of organizations like America Supports You Texas, ‘Faces of the Fallen’ and met many of the men who were in Palerider 3 on a trip to Washington D.C.” Several of those Marines told Steve and Zaida that they credit Leroy with saving their lives because the battle was so fierce that day. They have also met and talked with former Texas Governor Rick Perry. In Louisiana in October, 2008, Steve and Zaida met with President George W. Bush for thirty minutes in a private meeting. Steve laughed as he recalled, “There was the President of the United States sitting right next to Amy and talking about them going fishing some time. We talked with the President like we had known him forever. It was so great! Leroy would have been so proud.”
This November 11, our nation stops to remember our military this Veterans Day, but November 10 marks the 240 years of service for the U.S. Marine Corps. It is well known that their motto is: “Semper Fidelis”, which means “Always Faithful” and as Christians we can relate to this motto and the selfless actions of Leroy, because that describes one aspect of Jesus’ love for us. This was seen when Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice for the entire world by making a way to be saved through taking on our sins and giving up his life on the cross over 2,000 years ago.
The death of 21 year old Pfc. Leroy Sandoval, Jr. was tragic and his loved ones still mourn his loss, but their hope is found in the knowledge that, at the age of nine, Leroy first put his life in Jesus’ hands at a Vacation Bible School. Steve and Zaida, too, have made that same choice and they know that they will one day be with Jesus and reunited with Leroy in Heaven because Jesus is the truest example of “Semper Fidelis.”