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In the interest of speed and timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain spelling or grammatical errors.
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Holtville Marine killed in Iraq is laid to rest
Wednesday April 16, 2003
HOLTVILLE, Calif. (AP) Hundreds of relatives and friends, and
even people who barely knew Cpl. Erik Silva, turned out Wednesday
to honor the 22-year-old Marine who was killed in a firefight in
Iraq.
The Rev. William Savord presided over a Mass at St. Joseph's
Catholic Church, where Silva had been baptized and received his
first communion.
``Now that you have freed our brother Erik from this mortal
life, please make him one with the saints in heaven,'' Savord said,
according to a report from The Imperial Valley Press.
Savord noted the significance of the Holy Week preceding Easter
Sunday, and connected Silva's death to the resurrection of Jesus
Christ.
``There's a time to live and a time to die, and we don't know
when that is,'' he said. ``We don't suffer alone.''
Savord concluded by recognizing that Silva ``died for our
brothers and sisters in Iraq, and that is why we honor him today.''
Mourners filled the church, standing along the side aisles and
spilling out the door.
Marines in uniform saluted solemnly as eight Marines carried
Silva's flag-draped casket from the church, out into the bright
sunshine and to a waiting hearse.
Dozens of police and fire vehicles from Imperial Valley
communities accompanied the funeral procession for the infantry
rifleman from Camp Pendleton who was the first from the valley to
die in the war in Iraq.
A sign on a fence along the route said: ``God bless our hero
Erik Silva.''
The youngest of four children, Silva was born in the Imperial
Valley town of Brawley and graduated from Holtville High School,
where he played the trumpet, was a drum major and a member of the
varsity golf team.
Silva was killed on April 3 when his platoon was ambushed.
At the Terrace Park Cemetery, Marines fired their guns in salute
and played ``Taps,'' before Silva's casket was laid in the earth.
Several family members were overcome with emotion and sobbed
openly. A long line of people passed before Silva's parents and
siblings to pay their respects.
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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