MIDDLETOWN, NY, USA U.S. Army CPL, 101ST SIGNAL DETACHMENT, 501ST SPEC TRP BN, (1 MEF) FORT CAMPBELL, KY TIKRIT, IRAQ 03/16/2006
Corporal Carlos M. Gonzalez was born May 23, 1983 in Passaic, NJ and raised in Middletown, NY. He graduated from Minisink Valley High School in 2001, and was a member of the JROTC during all four years of high school. After graduation, he studied at Military College in Valley Forge, PA focusing on communications. Carlos, a signal support systems specialist, entered the Army in May 2004 and arrived at Fort Campbell, KY in January 2005. Besides his loving parents of Middletown, he is survived by his beloved wife, Kristina, his daughter Isabella Maria Gonzalez, both at home; his brother, Alex; his mother and father in law Kenneth and Elizabeth Oliver; grandparents Alejandrina Gildemeister, Victor Gonzalez, and Ana Rosa Miranda grandparents in law Peter and Frances Hartman and Susan Camus; and many friends and relatives.
A family statement reads: “Carlos was a happy young man who was always smiling. He was a forgiving person who could never hold a grudge. He enjoyed what he was doing and felt that joining the Army was the best thing he could do for his career.”
In a letter read during his funeral, battalion officers recalled Carlos’ hilarious laugh and how well groomed he was. They also mentioned his bad driving skills, a line that for a moment made the members of the congregation laugh. “He was a great member of our team,” Specialist Brian Vance said, reading from a letter. “He was an unforgettable friend… We were robbed of our comrade too soon.”
Carlos was assigned to the 101st Military Intelligence Detachment, 501st Special Troops Battalion, 101st Airborne Division based at Fort Campbell, KY. He was killed March 16, 2006 when a mortar round detonated in Tikrit, Iraq.