Tucson pays its final respects to a fallen 18-year-old soldier

Pfc. Joseph F. Gonzales Jr. was a chubby toddler when he donned his first pair of tiny combat boots and smiled for the camera.

A photo of that childhood moment gazed down at the teen soldier's casket on Tuesday.

Gonzales, who joined the Army on his 17th birthday and died at 18 in Afghanistan, was buried in his hometown of Tucson, his loved ones stricken by the loss of a young man who had wanted to be a soldier ever since they could remember.

About 250 people attended his funeral service, and hundreds more paid respects as Gonzales' flag-draped coffin traveled by horse-drawn carriage from St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, 602 W. Ajo Way, to South Lawn Cemetery on South Park Avenue.

City residents gave Gonzales "a farewell salute from the heart," said Raul Morales, the owner of Tucson Carriage Company, who drove the antique funeral coach.

All along the carriage route, "people were coming out of their businesses, stopping their cars. They were taking their hats off, saluting, putting their hands over their hearts. There was a tremendous amount of respect from the community," Morales said.

Among the mourners were students and staff from Arizona Project Challenge, a military-based education program in Queen Creek supported by the Arizona National Guard. Gonzales attended the program after spending nearly three years at Sunnyside High School.

National Guard Sgt. Michael Bigg, one of Gonzales' advisers in the program, said the Tucson teen quickly stood out because of his enthusiasm.

"If there's one word that really describes him, it's cheerful. He could be hot and dusty and sweaty — it didn't matter, he always had a smile," Bigg said.

"He was the heart and soul of his platoon. He kept everyone else going."

That same spark was evident when Gonzales enlisted, said Brig. Gen. Susan Lawrence of Fort Huachuca, who spoke at the funeral on behalf of the Army.

"He was so proud of wearing the uniform," Lawrence said.

In Afghanistan, fellow soldiers nicknamed him "Gonzo" and whenever a mission needed doing, "he was the first to stand up and say, 'Send me,' " the general said.

Although the youngest person in his unit, "he was a natural leader," she said. "He never gave up."

"Your son, your brother, is a hero," Lawrence told the soldier's parents and siblings. "The enemy he fought is an extremely dangerous enemy."

Gonzales had been overseas less than two months when he died, the 38th service member with ties to Tucson or Southern Arizona to be claimed by the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. He was serving with the 1st Infantry Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team from Fort Hood in Texas.

He was one of two soldiers killed in action on Sept. 20 in the Korengal Valley when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb. A Defense Department news release initially identified Gonzales as a private, but Army officials at his funeral said he was a private first class.

Even from the other side of the world, Gonzales' battle comrades made it clear that they had not forgotten him Tuesday.

In a sea of red, white and blue funeral flowers, one bouquet was from the "Soldiers of B Co. 2nd Platoon."

"Rest in Peace," the banner read. "Until we meet again."

On StarNet: See a slideshow of images from the funeral at azstarnet.com/slideshows On StarNet: Watch a video of the funeral at go.azstarnet.com/localvideos