NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas -- A New Braunfels man killed during a training exercise was honored Saturday as people gathered in and around the city's main plaza.
What You Need To Know
- Marine was 1 of 8 that died when an assault vehicle sank of the California coast
- Two veterans explain the bond, brotherhood of the Marine Corps
Marine Lance Corporal Guillermo "Willie" Perez was one of eight Marines who died when an amphibious assault vehicle sank off the coast of California. Perez's body was returned to Texas and we saw firsthand how the bond between soldiers goes beyond having served together.
"That's what it is. A brotherhood. They're my brothers. Once a marine, always a marine," said Luis Almanza, a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps.
Almanza and Mark Kauzlarich, a 31-year veteran of the Marine Corps, are just two of those who served that made it to the Main Plaza in New Braunfels on Saturday. The pair had never met before, but quickly struck up a conversation. They also stood shoulder to shoulder thanking a fellow soldier and paying tribute to a man who lost his life while serving his country.
"That could be you, that could be any marine you ever served with, and you just want to say farewell and thank you. Thank you for paying the ultimate sacrifice for this corps and country," said Kauzlarich.
Almanza and Kauzlarich served in Okinawa around the same time, and Kauzlarich may have taught Perez one day while substitute teaching at New Braunfels High School.
Paths cross in the military. But for these guys and many like them, they didn't have to know the soldier to honor the soldier.
"I never knew the young man, but he's still my brother. That's the spirit of the corps. You know, semper fi. Semper fidelis means always faithful. That's what we are. Faithful to the corps, to the service, to our brothers," said Almanza.