Local soldier honored at All-American Bowl

Eduardo Garza was on one of his very last patrols in Iraq in February 2004 when his unit was hit with an improvised bomb.

Garza suffered severe facial injuries, losing his right cheek bone and a bone in his nose, and he received a Purple Heart for his first — and last — overseas deployment.

The McAllen High School graduate cannot return to the battlefield because of his injuries and the risk they could become infected. But Garza has stayed in the U.S. Army and has found a way to continue to serve, becoming a human resource specialist last year.

Stationed in Fort Riley, Kan., Garza has a total of 12 years of military service under his belt, having first joined the U.S. Marines out of high school in 1997.

He was honored for that service Jan. 9 during the U.S. Army-sponsored All-American Bowl, an all-star game featuring the best high school football players in the country.

Garza was honored as a soldier-hero, one of the more than 90 throughout the Army who had been awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star or Purple Heart during deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan.

In the days leading up to the game, Garza and other soldier-heroes were involved with the players in events such as a skills competition, a barbecue and a banquet held in their honor.

The activities reminded him a lot of the events officers at his base hold with the football team at nearby Kansas State University.

“We were there to represent the military and our values,” Garza said. “They want the football players to go by the same values and take them to the field. For them, their battle is like our battle overseas.”

Nick Pipitone covers McAllen, PSJA, the Mid-Valley and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at (956) 683-4446.