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| For Alex and his family: Share your well-wishes | ||
As the Merrimack Valley prays for Jimenez and his family, The Eagle-Tribune is compiling well-wishes for his family. To submit your sentiments, e-mail foralex@eagletribune.com. To view the comments click here. |
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| Promise fulfilled: Military vowed to find missing soldiers in Iraq | Friends, family share stories of Alex Jimenez | WEB EXCLUSIVE: Letter Alex wrote before joining the army |
| Published on July 13, 2008 | Published on July 13, 2008 | Published on July 12, 2008 |
When Army Sgt. Alex Jimenez of Lawrence and two fellow soldiers were kidnapped in an ambush in Iraq, the military vowed to continue the search for them no matter how grim the discovery. Yesterday, 14 months later, the U.S. Department of Defense confirmed that the remains of continue reading... |
Ramon "Andy" Jimenez said he wanted his son to come back home so those who did not know him could find out who he really was. Instead of knowing him as Alex Jimenez the soldier, they would know him as his father did, as a caring, loving, generous and continue reading... |
Alex Jimenez wrote a letter to the army recruiting center while he was a senior in high school... "And if I ever do get recruited I promise to fight for the innocent who can't fight for them selves and for the United States of America." continue reading... |
| Neighborhood gathers around grieving father of fallen soldier | Body of missing Lawrence soldier found in Iraq | City begins tribute to fallen soldier today with half-staff salute |
| Published on July 11, 2008 | Published on July 11, 2008 | Published on July 11, 2008 |
Andy Jimenez began crying as he looked over the crowd of people who showed up in his backyard last night. Many of them had only met his son Alex briefly — some not at all." I had hoped they would all get to meet him," Jimenez said continue reading... |
The bodies of two U.S. soldiers, including Army Sgt. Alex Jimenez of Lawrence, missing in Iraq since being ambushed more than a year ago, have been recovered. Military officials told Jimenez family members in Lawrence and continue reading... |
American flags fly at half staff on municipal buildings throughout the city today in honor of the late Army Sgt. Alex Jimenez. It is the first of several tributes that are expected to be made by the city which yesterday ended a 14-month vigil of hope and prayers continue reading... |
| Sgt. Jimenez was missing 424 days | Lawrence soldier to be honored on first anniversary of disappearance | Missing soldier in Iraq promoted to sergeant |
| Published on July 11, 2008 | Published on May 5, 2008 | Published on Jan. 10, 2008 |
| May 12: Four soldiers are killed in an al-Qaida attack on a U.S. convoy in Iraq. Three are identified. Pfc. Alex Jimenez, 25, of Lawrence, is reported missing. Also gone are Pvt. Byron Fouty, 19, of Waterford, Mich., and Pfc. Joseph Anzack Jr., 20, of Torrance, Calif. An intense military continue reading... | It's been nearly a year since Sgt. Alex Jimenez of Lawrence and his comrade, Pfc. Byron Fouty, were captured during an ambush in Iraq.On Saturday, the Merrimack Valley will remember Jimenez and Fouty, of Waterford, Mich., with a motorcycle run featuring members of Rolling Thunder, speakers, a Mass and a vigil. continue reading... | Growing up, Alex Jimenez loved the Army so much that one of his goals was to join and be promoted through the ranks. |
| U.S. officials nab two suspects in Jimenez capture | A tearful thank you |
U.S. raids Iraqi villages looking for missing Lawrence soldier, comrade |
| Published on Dec. 28, 2007 | Published on Nov. 22, 2007 | Published on Nov. 17 |
| "It's like a belated Christmas present."That is how Andy Jimenez felt when he learned that two suspects involved in the capture of his son, Spc. Alex Jimenez, 25, and Pvt. Byron Fouty, 19, were detained by U.S. troops this week."Every time I hear a continue reading... |
Andy Jimenez took the wheel and set out on the seven-hour drive to Watertown, N.Y. His destination: Fort Drum, a military base nestled north of Syracuse and not far from Lake Ontario. |
While hundreds of U.S. and Iraqi troops descended on a remote desert area southwest of Baghdad yesterday, Andy Jimenez was watching television news at home hoping of word his son is still alive. continue reading... |
| Missing sons bring two families together | Brother of missing soldier breaks his silence |
Two fathers with sons, one war |
| By Yadira Betances, Staff writer Published on July 22 |
By Yadira Betances, Staff writer Published on July 19 |
By Yadira Betances Published on July 17 |
| The men seemed to have nothing in common, but their bond was immediate and unshakeable. The fathers of Army Spec. Alex Jimenez of Lawrence and Pvt. Byron Fouty of Michigan met for the first time late Friday night in the lobby of GuestHouse Methuen hotel and greeted each other with a bear hug you might expect from lifelong friends reuniting.continue reading... |
Andy Jimenez spent weeks holed up in his room, grieving for his older brother, Army Spc. Alex Jimenez. |
Andy Jimenez and Gordy Dibler live thousands of miles apart, but their hearts are bound by their worry and fear for their sons missing in Iraq | 66 days today. Saturday, the fathers of Army Spec. Alex Jimenez of Lawrence and Pvt. Byron Fouty of Michigan will meet face to face for the first time since their sons were captured by al-Qaida on May 12. continue reading... |
| Loop event honoring Jimenez raises thousands for troops | Sixty-one candles lit for missing soldier Alex Jimenez |
Support Our Troops event Saturday |
| By Crystal Bozek, Staff writer Published on July 15 |
By Yadira Betances, Staff writer Published on July 13 |
By Yadira Betances Published on July 12 |
| Ramon "Andy" Jimenez cracked a smile at first, but quickly started to laugh and point as he watched Lawrence Veterans' Agent Francisco Urena try to hula-hoop with a crowd of young girls. Jimenez had more laughs yesterday than he's had since his son, Army Spc. Alex Jimenez, disappeared in Iraq two months ago..continue reading... |
Yellow and white candles flickered in the wind as family members, friends and strangers gathered outside 11 Albion St. to mark the two months since Army Spc. Alex Jimenez disappeared in Iraq. |
New England Caring for Our Military will be at The Loop shopping mall Saturday to collect books, shampoo, coffee and more items for soldiers serving overseas. The event, which will be at the mall on Pleasant Valley Street from 10 a.m to 6 p.m., will be the last drop-off date for people to make donations. The Methuen-based group will send the donations to Iraq. Ramon "Andy" Jimenez, father of missing Army Spec. Alex Jimenez of Lawrence will be at the event with some of Jimenez' friends. continue reading... |
| Two-month vigil planned for missing soldier | Jimenez's mother visits Lawrence to thank city for its support |
Jimenez' status changes, family continues to pray |
| By Yadira Betances, Staff writer Published on July 11 |
By Yadira Betances, Staff writer Published on July 3 |
By Yadira Betances and Jessica Benson Staff writers Published on June 30 |
| Thinking of his son going without food and possibly being tortured is a nightmare Andy Jimenez hopes will soon come to an end. Tomorrow will be two months since Army Spc. Alex Jimenez, 25, and two other soldiers were taken prisoner and disappeared after an ambush 20 miles south of Baghdad. .continue reading... |
She came to see the yellow ribbons bearing her son's name on the city's school buildings. |
When two men in full military uniforms showed up at the home of a missing soldier's father, neighbors thought the worst. But it turns out the military was only there to inform the family that the status of Army Spc. Alex Jimenez has been changed from "whereabouts unknown" to "missing/captured." The change does not mean the military has gained any new information about his whereabouts, but relatives were still notified of the development Thursday.continue reading... |
| Wife of missing soldier saved from deportation | Compassion asked for immigration status of missing soldier's wife |
Hispanic Week parade pays tribute to missing soldier |
| By Jessica Benson, Staff writer Published on June 7 |
By Yadira Betances, Staff writer Published on June 21 |
By Yadira Betances, Staff writer Published on June 18 |
| The wife of a soldier from Lawrence who has been missing in Iraq for more than a month will get to stay in the country without fear of being deported while she awaits news of his fate. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security will allow Yaderlin Hiraldo to apply for legal, permanent resident status without first returning to her native Dominican Republic. Had she been deported, she would have had to wait another 10 years to apply for residency in the United States.continue reading... |
The potential deportation of the wife of a soldier missing in Iraq has put the spotlight on two of the nation's most volatile issues | illegal immigration and the war in Iraq. |
Only a day after the U.S. military announced it found the ID card of Alex Jimenez, the fate of the missing Lawrence soldier weighed heavily on the minds of those participating yesterday in the 29th annual Hispanic Week parade. The 25-year-old Lawrence resident and another soldier, 19-year-old Pvt. Byron Fouty of Michigan, have been missing in Iraq since May 12 when their unit was ambushed. continue reading... |
| Jimenez ID found, encouraging family | Hope Lives: A thousand gather for vigil as father returns |
‘Thank you’ drive for Jimenez searchers beyond expectations |
| By Crystal Bozek and Yadira Betances, Staff writers Published on June 17 |
By Yadira Betances, Staff writer Published on June 10 |
By Jessica Benson, Staff writer Published on June 7 |
| The discovery of Spc. Alex Jimenez? identification card in a deserted al-Qaida safe house north of Baghdad raised new hope for the family of the Lawrence soldier captured by militants. ?The fact that they found his items makes me think that maybe they are moving them around,? Jimenez? mother, Maria del Rosario Duran, said in a phone interview from her home in Queens, N.Y. ?I had a sense of relief when they told me.? continue reading... |
One chair at the altar was left empty during the 6 o'clock Mass last night at St. Mary of the Assumption Church. The seat facing the crucifix behind the altar was reserved for Army Spec. Alex Jimenez, 25, missing since May 12 when his unit was ambushed by insurgents linked to al-Qaida. His father, Ramon "Andy" Jimenez, sat just a few feet away, his gaze shifting from the chair to the packed congregation of family members, friends and total strangers who gathered to pray for Alex's safe return home. continue reading... |
The Search Team Appreciation Drive just keeps getting bigger. The effort to collect items for care packages, which will be sent to troops in Iraq as a "thank-you" for searching for Alex Jimenez, has been growing larger than drive organizer Jim Sereigo-Wareing had ever dreamed possible. "This is going to be the biggest drive we've ever had," he said. "This one, I can see up front that it's going to be very big."continue reading... |
| On the streets of Lawrence, everyone is talking about Alex | Living a Nightmare |
Terrorists claim to have killed captured Lawrence soldier, comrade |
| By Jill Harmacinski, Staff writer Published on June 6 |
By Yadira Betances, Staff writer Published on June 6 |
By Yadira Betances, Staff writer Published on June 5 |
| Marleni Paulino, 14, was applying for a summer job at City Hall yesterday afternoon. She also was thinking about Army Spc. Alex Jimenez. "Everyone is trying to support him," said Marleni, an eighth-grader at St. Mary's School. "This is why young people shouldn't go to war. It just gets their families all stirred up." Jimenez, 25, whose father lives on Albion Street, has been missing since May 12 when his unit was ambushed in Iraq.continue reading... |
It is midmorning at Maria del Rosario Duran's home. Family members, friends and neighbors sit in awkward silence. The TV news plays in the background, but the sound is muted. The quiet is broken occasionally by a heavy sigh from Duran or her sister popping her head in from the kitchen offering those waiting an espresso or a cold drink. This is how the family of missing Army Spc. Alex Jimenez spends their day.continue reading... |
It was the first news on missing Lawrence soldier Alex Jimenez in more than three weeks, and it was news no one wanted to hear. Al-Qaida militants released a videotape claiming Jimenez and his fellow missing soldier are dead and buried in Iraq. The video shows the two soldiers' identification tags, credit cards, money and other "booty" the insurgents claim they confiscated. continue reading... |
| Alex Jimenez's mom waits, prays for a miracle | Community drive is on to send care packages to those searching for missing Lawrence soldier | Search continues for Lawrence’s Jimenez |
| By Yadira Betances, Staff writer Published on June 5 |
By Jessica Benson , Staff writer Published on May 30 | By Jessica Benson, Julio Chuy and Jill Harmacinski Staff writers Published on May 24 |
| Almost a month ago, Alex Jimenez called his mother and, as is customary with Hispanic children, he asked for her blessing. He told her he loved her and said he was doing fine. The May 5 conversation lasted only a few minutes, but for Maria del Rosario Duran it is a conversation to be cherished. It was the last time she spoke with her son, Army Spc. Alex Jimenez, who was captured by terrorists in Iraq a week later. Yesterday, those al-Qaida captors sent a videotaped message to the world saying Jimenez was dead and buried.continue reading... |
They brave temperatures over 110 degrees as they trudge through farms and across the desert. They also risk their lives as they search for two missing soldiers in an area so volatile, it's been dubbed the "triangle of death." So far, two soldiers have been killed during the two-week-long search. With everything the 4,000 troops have done to find the soldiers, especially Army Spc. Alex Jimenez, 25, of Lawrence, James Sereigo-Wareing thought they deserved a big "thank you" from the community.continue reading... |
First, they heard that a body of a soldier was found in the Euphrates River south of Baghdad. Then they learned that the body sported a tattoo, meaning it couldn’t possibly be Army Spc. Alex Jimenez, since the 25-year-old hates tattoos.Then news came last night that it was the body of Pfc. Joseph J. Anzack Jr. of California, who along with Jimenez was one of three soldiers taken captive and missing since a deadly roadside ambush earlier this month. continue reading... |
| A yellow ribbon in every school window until Jimenez comes home | Soldier's father is 'expecting good news' | General: We know who kidnapped soldiers |
| By Crystal Bozek, Staff writer Published on May 23 |
By Jill Harmacinski, Staff writer Published on May 22 |
From wire reports Published on May 20 |
| Javier Escoto, 9, said he wishes everyone in the city could form one big search team, head to Iraq and find missing Army Spc. Alex Jimenez."I think we could do it. There's a lot of people in Lawrence," the Leahy School fourth-grader said. "I hope he gets found. He's a soldier who wants to protect us, and we have to support him now." Jimenez, 25, of Lawrence is one of three soldiers believed kidnapped by terrorists after an ambush in Iraq on May 12. continue reading... |
His son has been missing in Iraq for 10 days, but Ramon "Andy" Jimenez, like so many in the Merrimack Valley, continues to hope and pray for the best. "He's doing much better and his hope is really running high," said Wendy Luzon, a family friend. Jimenez, of Albion Street, was still at Fort Drum in New York yesterday | the home base of the Army's 10th Mountain Division. He checks in several times a day with close family and friends. continue reading... |
Alex Jimenez and two other missing American soldiers were kidnapped by "the big player" in Iraq's Triangle of Death, General David Petraeus said. Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, also said he believes at least two of the men are still alive. There was still no sign of the soldiers as U.S. and Iraqi troops jumped across ditches and waded through mud in difficult, canal-lined terrain in the eighth day of the hunt for them south of Baghdad. continue reading... |
| DNA tests show Jimenez not among confirmed dead | Hispanic community rallies for missing soldier | Those who made it back understand the dangers |
| By Jessica Benson, Staff writer Published on May 19 |
By Yadira Betances, Staff writer Published on May 18 |
By Drake Lucas, Staff writer Published on May 18 |
| As worshippers raised their arms to the sky and asked God for the safe return home of Army Spc. Alex Jimenez, the 25-year-old's friends and family were learning that at least one of their prayers may have been answered. DNA tests confirmed yesterday that the remains of an unidentified soldier killed in an ambush last weekend in Iraq did not belong to Jimenez. continue reading... | From the corner store, the barbershop and the bookstore, the name Alex Jimenez echoes across Lawrence, accompanied by prayers and wishes for his safe return.
"It's a shame to have someone so young be in harm's way," said Orlando Gonzalez, owner of Bonanza Market on Jackson Street. "I was stunned when I found out. He's one of us and we feel deeply sad about his situation." continue reading... |
Giselle Sterling gets chills thinking about Alex Jimenez, a Lawrence soldier who is feared captured by terrorists in Iraq. She understands the danger. Sterling, 25, served with the Marines in Afghanistan after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. "Anytime I hear any type of story like that it's heartbreaking," she said. "You hope and pray they are OK." continue reading... |
| Lawrence soldier among missing in Iraq's 'triangle of death' | Prayers offered for safe return of Lawrence soldier | POWs' advice to Jimenez: Do 'anything to save your life |
| By Jessica Benson, Staff writer Published on May 16 |
By Jessica Benson and Yadira Betances, Staff writers Published on May 17 |
By Zach Church, Staff writer Published on May 16 |
| A 25-year-old Lawrence soldier is among four feared captured - or killed - by al-Qaida in a pre-dawn ambush in Iraq Saturday. Army Spc. Alex R. Jimenez, 25, was listed as one of four soldiers whose "whereabouts are unknown." Military officials confirm one soldier is dead but are not releasing the name, leaving Jimenez' friends and family to wonder his fate - is he alive and in the hands of terrorists or is he dead. continue reading... | Alex Jimenez may be in the hands of terrorists, but he is not alone. That’s the message being sent from the people of Lawrence to the 25-year-old soldier believed kidnapped last weekend by al-Qaida terrorists. “The city of Lawrence is all behind you, as every other American is,” Mayor Michael Sullivan said in a taped statement addressed to Jimenez. “We are all praying you return to a safe land soon.” continue reading...
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If Joseph Lovoi could speak with Army Spc. Alex Jimenez, he would tell him that "life is worth it." Cooperate with your captors, Lovoi would say. And pray. "Anything to save your life," former U.S. Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Lovoi said last night from his Methuen home. "You're just a kid. Your whole life is ahead of you."And then, with his voice quivering, forcing forward the words: "Goddammit. You shouldn't be there in the first place." continue reading... |
| Father of slain soldier prays for Jimenez's safety | Missing soldier brings war home to Lawrence | Fort Drum soldiers say capture will strengthen military's determination |
| By Mike LaBella, Staff writer Published on May 17 |
By Jessica Benson and Yadira Betances, Staff writers Published on May 17 |
By William Kates, Associated Press Published on May 16 |
| When Michael O'Neill heard about the capture of Alex Jimenez in Iraq, he began praying for a different fate than his son suffered. Evan O'Neill, 19, of Haverhill, a member of the Army's 10th Mountain Division, was killed Sept. 29, 2003. O'Neill, a private first class, was trying to prevent an ambush of his platoon | and his efforts helped save the lives of 23 of his fellow soldiers. continue reading... |
Alex Jimenez loves being a soldier.
When his father's neighbor, Raul Polanco, first met Jimenez, the young U.S. Army specialist was looking through a book about the Army. "He is a true military man; he lived for that," Polanco said. Other friends describe Jimenez, who has been missing in Iraq since Saturday, as so enthralled with the military, he watches the commercials with a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eyes. He loves it so much, they said, he is planning to re-enlist for another four years. continue reading... |
Fort Drum soldiers said an ambush in Iraq that left Spc. Alex Jimenez and two other soldiers missing will only work to unite America and strengthen the military's determination. "If this is a scare tactic to undermine our resolve, they need to realize our soldiers are trained killers and don't scare," said Spc. Dorothy Drake of Los Angeles. "This is more incentive to finish the job. "The Army is family. This will bring us together. It will bring the country together." continue reading... |
