By Anthony Rifilato and Rachel Kalina
Marine Sgt. Julian Arechaga was killed in Iraq on Oct. 9, but his memory was celebrated last Saturday, as family, friends and fellow Marines paid their respects to the 23-year-old who made the ultimate sacrifice.
³This young man was willing to put it all on the line for people he didn¹t know, children he didn¹t know,² said the Rev. Robert Coyle during the military funeral for Arechaga at Our Holy Redeemer Roman Catholic Church in Freeport. Hundreds of people came to pay their respects to Arechaga, one of three Marines killed in an incident in Iraq¹s Al Anbar Province when their Humvee struck an improvised explosive device (IED) during one of the deadliest months of the war.
Coyle and others praised Arechaga as a hero, and told his family, including Julian¹s widow, Felecia, his sister and brother-in-law, Sheyla and Russ Randazzo, and his father, Julian Arechaga Sr., to have strength, saying that the community was gathering not just to mourn, but to praise Arechaga for his military service as well.
³We gather in hope, faith and trust,² said Coyle, a U.S. Navy commander and the chaplain of the Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point. ³This young man, this Marine, answered the call to serve, to sacrifice himself.²
After graduating from Oceanside high school in 2002 ‹ where he was a member of the wrestling team and made the honor roll ‹ Arechaga enlisted in the Marines and eventually rose to the rank of sergeant with the 1st Battalion 6th Marine Charlie Company. He served in Afghanistan and twice in Iraq during his four-year career, finishing his required assignments last year.
The past year had its ups and downs for Arechaga. In June, his mother, Mirna Martinez, died after a long battle with cancer, and he came home for her funeral. His life brightened considerably, however, when, on June 17, he married 19-year-old Felecia Lynn Mckenzie, also a Marine, whom he had met while they were both stationed in North Carolina. The newlyweds planned on returning to live in Baldwin.
Arechaga was known as a hard-working man with solid character who loved being a Marine, his family said. He was in charge of a platoon, and his men looked up to him. Lance Cpl. Brett Seitz, who served with Arechaga, recalled his friend¹s great leadership qualities. ³One day we got called out to look for a car bomb, and the area we went to was usually filled with people,² Seitz recounted, adding that on that particular day, only six Marines were in the unusually quiet area when a bomb went off. As a result, all the troops headed in the same direction, but Seitz described how Arechaga took charge of the situation and told the men to spread out to avoid becoming targets.
³He was a great leader,² said Seitz.
In September, Arechaga volunteered to return to Iraq, since his friends were being called back to serve. He was scheduled to come home for good in March, and hoped to go to college and become a police officer.
On the day he died, Arechaga was rushing to the aid of other Marines along with Lance Cpl. Jon E. Bowman, 21, of Dubach, La., and Pfc. Shelby J. Feniello, 25, of Connellsville, Pa., who were also killed in the Humvee explosion. Arechaga was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart for his bravery.
Arechaga was devoted to his family, and was close to his nieces Alexandra, 5, and Ava, 17 months. He had many interests, and loved rock Œn¹ roll and heavy metal music, especially Metallica, Led Zeppelin and Nirvana. He was also an avid martial artist, and planned to compete in the Ultimate Fighting Championship when he came home.
His many friends not only turned out for his funeral, but posted numerous condolences on his Myspace.com Web page.
Arechaga¹s family and others acknowledged his bravery on Saturday. At the altar, a cross was placed next to a large photo of him in his dress Marine uniform. Though his family grieved, Felecia said that their love and beautiful memories of him would outlast the grief. ³We love you, Julian,² she said.
In addition to prayers, at one point Coyle asked the congregants to give Arechaga a round of applause, a loud and moving demonstration that lasted longer than a minute.
Several stoic Marines and civilians carried Arechaga¹s silver casket, draped in an American flag, out of the church, followed by family and friends. Outside, bagpipes bellowed and Marines stood in formation as the hearse was escorted by a police motorcade to Greenfield Cemetery in Uniondale.
Along the way, the Baldwin Fire Department had placed a large American flag between two light poles on Grand Avenue at the corner of St. Luke¹s Place, near where the former Plaza Elementary School student had lived.
In a memorial pamphlet, Sheyla Randazzo, who helped raise her brother after their parents separated, wrote how Julian was a ³special person in all our lives.²
She went on: ³I want all to know that if you are looking for the perfect man in life, I want them to look at how you lived yours. You were the perfect brother, husband, uncle, son, and Marine.²
Arechaga¹s wife wrote that while life without him would be hard, ³I know that you will be guiding me from above and you will be in my heart always.²
Arechaga¹s life and death struck a chord with a number of Baldwin residents who attended his funeral. For one in particular ‹ Michael Rosenstock ‹ his service to his country was especially poignant, because Rosenstock¹s son, Douglas, is also a Marine, training to be a fighter pilot in North Carolina. ³Having a son who is going to be in harm¹s way in the near future, this makes it so much more moving,² Rosenstock said, adding that he was amazed and moved by the strength displayed by Arechaga¹s family. ³These young men are over there and give their lives to their country. You have to commend what they do.²
