Edinburg recognizes hometown Marine gravely wounded by roadside bomb

EDINBURG — U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Jacob De la Garza has never been the type to be deterred from what he wants, his family members said Tuesday.

They saw no chance the 29-year-old wounded warrior could be kept from joining the Edinburg police force if he decides to pursue it.

De la Garza, who was gravely wounded by a roadside bomb last May while serving in Afghanistan, was recognized by the Edinburg City Council on Tuesday with a proclamation in his honor. An Edinburg High School graduate who served four tours overseas, De la Garza was wounded last May by a roadside bomb that resulted in the amputation of his left leg and embedded shrapnel across his body.

But De la Garza’s injuries wouldn’t deter him from his goal of becoming a police officer in his hometown, said his brother, Javier De la Garza, who serves on the city’s police force.

“It’s just his personality and character. He’s not going to quit,” Javier De la Garza said. “He would be excellent at (being a police officer).”

De la Garza, who was not authorized by the military to speak Tuesday about the incident that wounded him, is still undergoing rehabilitation for his injuries at Camp Pendleton in San Diego while on active duty with the Marine Corps. But city officials wanted to recognize De la Garza and his family — some who traveled from Amarillo to be at Tuesday’s meeting — while he was in the Rio Grande Valley during a holiday break.

De la Garza was deployed to Afghanistan with the 1^st Battalion, 5^th Marine Division when he was struck by a roadside bomb on May 21 in a small town northwest of Kandahar. At least two Marines were killed in the attack. De la Garza was taken to a German hospital and later to the Naval Medical Center in San Diego, where his injuries forced doctors to amputate his leg.

In addition to the Purple Heart, De la Garza was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps’ Commendation Medal for saving the lives of his fellow Marines, Edinburg police Chief Rolando Castañeda said. His actions during an Iraq tour were recounted in the book, We Were One: Shoulder to Shoulder with the Marines who Took Fallujah, which describes how he saved several of his men from death at the hands of insurgents.

De la Garza’s first preference is to remain with the military when his service commitment ends next summer, said his mother, Anita de Leon, who wore a pin Tuesday for the Wounded Warrior Project that helps disabled veterans return to civilian life.

De la Garza is determined not to let his injuries affect the quality of his life.

“He still continues to do everything he used to. He’s unstoppable,” de Leon said. “I think he can accomplish anything he wants to.”

De la Garza showed few signs of his combat injuries Tuesday at City Hall as he accepted the resolution and briefly thanked council members. Castañeda, who introduced De la Garza by noting his desire to continue serving his community as an Edinburg police officer when discharged from the Marines, said he would welcome the serviceman to the department if he passes the physical requirements.

De la Garza told the council he faced significant challenges when his life changed in May. But, he said, “I knew I had to find a way to continue.”

“Each day should be lived to its fullest,” said De la Garza, who attended the meeting with his wife, Priscilla, and two children, Jayden and Brealynn. “My injuries may have changed my life but failed to change the way I lived.”

--

Jared Janes covers Hidalgo County government, Edinburg and legislative issues for The Monitor. He can be reached at jjanes@themonitor.com and (956) 683-4424.

--

TWITTER
Follow Jared Janes on Twitter: @moncounty