by Master Sgt. Shawn David McCowan
301st Fighter Wing
9/30/2009 - Citizen Airman/Oct 2009 -- (Editor's note: This is the first of a three-part series about Staff Sgt. Francisco "Paco" Martinez, an Airman who's son was killed in Iraq, and how he plans to honor his son's life by protecting others who deploy.)
In June 2008, Air Force Reserve Staff Sgt. Francisco "Paco" Martinez was finalizing family arrangements before he was to deploy to Iraq. Deployments into strange and dangerous environments are difficult for any Airman. However, this deployment was going to be especially tough on Sergeant Martinez. He was about to go to the same place where his son had recently died.
His son, Francisco "Paquito" Martinez, was an Army sniper, and he was just days from being sent home from a deployment to Iraq. His unit was escorting a reporter when it came under fire from an Iraqi sniper. Paquito was mortally wounded in the attack.
In joining the Army, Paquito was following in his father's footsteps. Paco became a Soldier in 1982 and served for two years before transferring to the regular Air Force, where he worked as a security forces specialist until 1991. At that time, he separated and took a computer networking job with IBM.
Father and son were very close, and Paco found it hard to see Paquito deploy. But he understood his sense of duty to protect the country the way his father did.
"I spent a lot of time looking at pictures of my son when he first left, and we kept in touch as often as possible," Paco said. "We wrote quite a few letters and had many chats across the miles. When I lost him, I started looking at those letters and photos again, but in a different way. It was hard to accept."
Paco was in a daze for weeks after losing his son. They were like best friends and shared news from their day as well as a common interest in computer technology.
"Some weeks before he was scheduled to come home, he started getting quieter in our e-mails and chats," Paco said. "His time in a war zone was starting to get to him. He couldn't express it, but I could tell. It was time for him to come home."
His son's death was well-documented. A reporter was on the scene, and many news organizations contacted Paco soon after the story broke to the public.
"I could barely stand to think about it, let alone talk to the news people," he said. "But on the other hand, I wanted his story to be told so his death wouldn't be in vain. I know that God allows everything to happen for a reason. Other parents need to know the dangers and struggles their kids experience and how blessed they are when their children come back through the door."
That was when Paco had a revelation. He needed to go to Iraq in place of his son. At first his family wasn't supportive of his decision. But Paco knew what he had to do.
"Of course revenge crept into my mind," he said. "My son was killed there. But revenge is God's job. I was blessed with a wonderful son who served his country and is now in Heaven. My job was not to hurt those who took him away. ...
"My job was different. I needed to do what other parents (in similar circumstances) couldn't do. I needed to go over there and, by doing my job, make sure everyone else's sons and daughters come home safely."
But leaving wouldn't be easy. Paco's daughter, Monica, was very nervous about her father leaving. She was deeply affected by the loss of her brother, since Paquito was many years senior to her. She knew her brother to be very gentle and caring and didn't understand why anyone would want to kill him.
"It was tricky explaining things to Monica," Paco said. "She was very afraid that she'd lose her father, too. When I went to training, she asked me if I would ever be coming home."
Despite the uneasiness his decision created among members of his family, Paco took comfort in the importance of his service.
"I knew the Lord would bring me home safely," he said. "I understood the cause of my son's death, and I knew some good could come of it. I just had to go there and do my job."
Paco deployed in early July 2008 and was scheduled to return in early January.
(Sergeant McCowan is assigned to the 301st Fighter Wing public affairs office at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas.)
