Steven A. Valdez was a brave soldier who died a hero in a foreign land, but he was also a caring young man who deeply loved his family and friends and they were never far from his mind. Those who knew Lance Corporal Valdez from his childhood in McRea, a small north-central Arkansas town, remember him as competitive, energetic and fun-loving.

He graduated from Beebe High School in 2004 and, soon after, followed the footsteps of his older brother Glenn Skaggs, and his grandfather Billy Skaggs, into the United States Marine Corps. In November of 2004, Lance Corporal Valdez reported to the Marine Corps Base at Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. Serving with the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, he was deployed to Afghanistan in June as a machine gun operator with Weapons Platoon Company E. Within the year, his family received a letter from the Marines, which cited Valdez’s promotion to Lance Corporal and praised him for going above and beyond what was asked or expected of him.

While serving in Afghanistan, Lance Corporal Valdez was stationed at Camp Blessing. The Camp is located in eastern Afghanistan, in the foothills of the Hindu Kush mountains near the Pakistani border, and serves as a forward operating base for intelligence and military operations aimed to train Afghan security forces and track down al-Qaeda terrorists. He served with a platoon of Marines guarding the camp. While serving in Afghanistan, Lance Corporal Valdez and his grandfather, Billy, had an agreement; Billy would send care packages with his grandson’s favorite snacks and items from home, but he would also include phone cards with the expectation that the young marine would call his grandfather once a week.

For Lance Corporal Valdez, it was a much-needed respite from the stresses of war that allowed him to feel a little closer to home; for Billy, it was reassuring to hear his grandson’s voice and to know that he was safe and healthy. On September 26, insurgents attacked Camp Blessing with mortar, rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire. Lance Corporal Valdez was struck by shrapnel from a mortar while running to his machine gun post. The brave 20 year-old died shortly after. In remembering their loved one, Lance Corporal Valdez’s proud grandfather speaks of him as a "true hero." When his brother, Sergeant Glenn Skaggs, returns to Iraq, he will be concerned about his own well-being, but only in the sense that he doesn’t want to put his family through another grieving process. Despite these concerns, in a manner typical of this courageous and selfless family, he proudly states "My brother was over there for something he believed in, and I want to help finish it." Although Steven Valdez may no longer be with us, his legacy and his spirit will forever live on in our hearts. On behalf of a grateful nation, my thoughts and prayers go out his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him.