ELKO, NV, USA U.S. Marines LCPL, I CO, 3D BN, 4TH MAR, 1ST MAR DIV, MCAGCC TWENTYNINE PALMS, CA AL QAIM, IRAQ 03/03/2007
Raul aka Chato which means little or no nose, was killed in Iraq on 3/2/07. He was an essential part of our family, the only boy, youngest of 3 sisters. He loved to drive, dance and make others smile. His favorite meal was Thanksgiving Dinner – my mother would make this for him anytime he requested it. He was the most giving and selfless man I knew. Too young to go so soon. We will always remember the good times my brother. We are with you always
Big-lil-sister
Rachel
“Raul always had an incentive to be a Marine,” said Saul Quintero, Bravo’s friend since the seventh grade. “He said when he left the service he wanted to be a cop in L.A. He just liked that kind of stuff.”
Bravo spent seven months in Iraq in 2005 and had been there on his second tour since August. Bravo’s father told the Free Press he saw on Spanish television that three Marines had died, but didn’t fear Raul was one of them. The father and son last spoke Feb. 28 and the family learned of his death late Saturday.
“We’re passing through a bad time. We’re asking God for help,” said the elder Bravo. “His mother is (upset), of course,” he added. The couple divorced several years ago, and Bravo’s mother and three sisters live in Las Vegas.
Rachel Bravo said her brother, whose nickname was Chato, was based out of 29 Palms, Calif., and the last time the family visited with Raul was in late August.
“We’re kind of dealing with waves of emotion at the moment,” Rachel said. “We really want to take care of it. We’re just remembering what kind of man he was. Everyone needs to support our troops regardless of how you feel. These are our brothers, sons, nephews out there. These are sisters, daughters and nieces, and we need to support every one of them.”
Bravo was assigned to the USMC’s 3rd Battalion, Fourth Regiment, Indio Company.
Quintero, a Great Basin Bank employee and student at Great Basin College, said he and Bravo were part of a tight-knit group of friends from Elko High. “He’d tell us crazy things about the war when he visited, and then he’d say, ‘Let’s go have some fun.’ I miss him already.”
Quintero said Bravo and Raul Sr. often helped an elderly woman with her gardening. “That’s just the way he was,” Quintero said. “He liked to help people.”
Struggling to remain composed, Quintero said he and other friends tried to talk Bravo into joining the U.S. Air Force after high school. It was something they all wanted to do. “He wanted no part of the Air Force. He said he needed his rush.”
Monday night Quintero and several other of Bravo’s buddies gathered to remember their fallen friend. “We’re just going to kick back,” he said. “And get some things off our chests.”
Rachel said the family plans to make the pilgrimage to Elko in the near future. They’ll go to Main City Park, where the elder Bravo’s water department co-workers will plant a tree in the name of a young Marine who made the ultimate sacrifice for his nation.