12/03/08 :
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Capt. Robert J. Yllescas, 31, of Lincoln, Neb., died Dec. 1 at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., of wounds suffered Oct. 28 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit at Combat Outpost Keating...
UPDATE:
From IGTNT
Capt. Robert J. Yllescas, 31, of Lincoln, Neb. and of the 6th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.From his wife's blog:
According to the Department of Defense, he was wounded on Oct. 28 "when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit at Combat Outpost Keating, Afghanistan." He died of his wounds Dec. 1 at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.
"He is my hero. He is our children's hero."--Dana Yllescas, his wife, on her blog
The 31-year-old Yllescas was a son of Guatemala, having lived there for his first 18 years, and a son of Nebraska. He attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where was a part of UNL's Reserve Officer Training Corps. Upon his 2001 graduation, he also became a commissioned officer and entered the military. In the decade between wearing a mortar board and wearing a helmet, he fell in love, married, fathered two children, completed Army Ranger school, served two tours in Iraq and went to Afghanistan, "where he commanded about 90 U.S. soldiers and 200 Afghan fighters," according to the Lincoln Journal Star.
I was not planning on telling (daughter) Julia yet the extent of Rob’s injuries, but she is just way too smart. When she found out we were going to be staying at Walter Reed for awhile, she said "That means daddy has an injury." Julia has had the opportunity to know our friend Ryan who had been through a similar experience and she understands what happens at Walter Reed. So, when I told her that, yes, daddy has had an injury, she asked me "Did daddy’s legs get chopped off?" "Yes, baby. Daddy lost his legs but he is still daddy and he loves you very very much." She teared up a little bit and then asked if daddy would be able to still wrestle with her. I told her that, yes, he will be able to do all of these things with her but it will take a while. She then said "But, mommy, Eva won’t know daddy." I said "You mean she won’t know him with his legs?" "Yes, mommy." "Baby, Eva won’t know any different and daddy will love you both just like he did before." I told her "You know how Ryan has a metal leg? Well, daddy will have 2 metal legs." Julia scrunched up her face and said "well, I’ll be painting those legs peach."
Our prayers for the repose of Robert and for Dena Yllescas and their daughters Julia and Eva.
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