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| Age: |
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26 |
| Hometown: |
Beasley, TX
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| Date of Death: |
2/7/2007 |
| Incident Location: |
Anbar province, Iraq |
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| Branch of Military: |
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Marines |
| Rank: |
Sgt. |
| Unit: |
Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 364, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine |
| Unit's Base: |
Camp Pendleton, Calif. |
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James R. Tijerina''s father described his son as a soft-spoken and caring man who loved the outdoors. His real passion, however, was for animals.
Tijerina would find wounded animals on the street and try to nurse them back to health. "He had such a soft spot for animals," Peter Tijerina said. "Even the mean dogs he could handle because they could sense it."
Tijerina, 26, of Beasley, Texas, died Feb. 7 in a helicopter crash in Anbar province. He was assigned to Camp Pendleton and was on his second tour.
He graduated from Katy High School in 1997 and was a member of the school''s 1997 state championship football team, playing tight end.
Last Christmas Eve, he ran in a 5K race at Camp Taqaddum with 250 other troops, winning first place with a time of 18 minutes, 46 seconds. "He was an athlete, but he also had a big heart," Peter Tijerina said.
His father said Tijerina was very proud to be a Marine. As a crew chief, he helped pick up wounded troops and take them to safety. "He was always expressing that he felt good about doing something good for all those people," he said.
He also is survived by his wife, Clowie.
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