For the first time since Vietnam, war has claimed the life of a
Gilroy resident.
For the first time since Vietnam, war has claimed the life of a Gilroy resident.
U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jeramy Ailes, 22, was killed in battle Monday as U.S. and Iraqi forces closed out more than a week of heavy fighting in the insurgent stronghold of Fallujah, Iraq.
“He was killed by small-arms fire, possibly during an ambush situation,” said his father Joel Ailes. “It happened the last day of the Fallujah campaign … That’s the worst part of it. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Thirty-eight American servicemen have died in the effort to reclaim the Baghdad suburb in preparation for January elections. Stepped-up assaults on insurgents in Fallujah and elsewhere have pushed the U.S. death toll to at least 91 in November, making it the second-deadliest month for American troops since the Iraq invasion in March 2003, Pentagon figures show. The worst month was April, with 135 deaths, when Marines fought fierce battles in Fallujah, only to withdraw. The death toll since the beginning of the war stands at 1,198 as of Tuesday, according to a tally by the Associated Press.
“He told me he didn’t know how he dodged death so many times,” his mother Lana Ailes said. “I told him he had an angel watching over him.”
Ailes – a member of the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines Division, 1st Platoon – was serving his second tour of duty in Iraq. He took part in the initial invasion in March 2003 during his first tour, returning home after three months of service in the southern city of Nasiriyah. He departed for his second tour June 20 – Father’s Day.
“He was concerned this time because he was going to Fallujah,” his father recounted. The city is populated by Sunni Muslims, a religious minority that dominated the country under deposed leader Saddam Hussein.
Ailes’ main duty involved patrolling areas around the city on foot and talking to local Iraqis in hopes of rooting out insurgents, according to his father. In weekly e-mail and phone conversations with his parents, he described the dire situation Iraqis faced.
“If I ever hear anybody in the United States say anything about how bad they have it, I’m going to really let them have it,'” Ailes told his parents.
They said life in the military brought out changes in their son.
“He really appreciated what he had here … after seeing that part of the world,” his mother said.
“He went from being a boy to a young man very fast,” Mr. Ailes said.
He recalled how, in one conversation, their son said, “‘Well, I might have really done it – I might have pissed off their culture.'”
The soldier described how he encountered a father forcing his 12-year old girl to carry a heavy bale of hay in 100-plus degree weather. The girl’s face was beet red.
“You’d have been proud, dad,” Joel Ailes recalled his son saying. “‘He didn’t like it, but after a few choice words, the son of a b—- was carrying the hay and the girl was drinking water from my canteen.'”
The young soldier found many ways to help, according to his parents. He had his family send over boxes of soccer balls to hand out to local kids and once gave $300 to children in Basrah, knowing that $10 was enough to feed a person for a month, according to Joel Ailes.
“He went because he wanted to help people and protect people,” said his father. “He said he felt sorry about the conditions of the people over there … It’s just something he felt he had to do.”
They were all surprised by his decision to join the Marine Corps during his first year at Gavilan College.
“We tried to talk him out of it,” recalled his mother, although they ultimately supported his decision.
Ailes’ second tour was scheduled to end in January. In his correspondence, he often asked about equipment for his truck, how much a tow package would cost – his normal interests.
“He was thinking about coming home,” Mrs. Ailes said.
The family last heard from him on Oct. 30.
Lizette Perales, one of two friends who spoke to him on Nov. 3 – his 22nd birthday – recalled that he said “he was doing this for all of us back home.”
The family received news of their son’s death late Monday afternoon, when three uniformed Marines knocked on their door. The family expected to meet with military representatives today to arrange for the return of their son’s body. Ailes will receive a purple heart and full military burial.
“It’s time to get our boys home,” said Mr. Ailes, holding back his emotions. “We need to finish the job and bring them home.”
