Private First Class Diego Rincon. The attacks on Sept. 11 broke Diego Rincon's heart, and he signed up for duty to prevent another attack on America. He lost his life to the first-known suicide attack on U.S. soldiers in Operation Iraqi March 2003
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Petty Officer 2nd Class Joseph Mowell . Eldest Grandson to Joseph Hammond owner of Sound Pro
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Hunters Story
Swimming with Papa Jody
Father & Son
Hunting
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Forged by Sept. 11 Petty Officer 3rd Class Joseph Mowell is a Monroe native serving on board a ship built using steel from the World Trade Center. As the nation observes the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, a Monroe native is serving in the U.S. Navy aboard a ship built using steel from the World Trade Center. On Sept. 11, 2001, Petty Officer 2nd Class Joseph Mowell, was 4 years old swimming at his grandmother’s house when he saw on TV the planes crash into the buildings. “I believe it’s crucial to remember all the heroes that gave their lives in response to the horrific event that happened on 9/11,” said Mowell. Mowell joined the Navy 31⁄2 years ago. “I joined the Navy to get real life and job experience to build my resume to find a successful career after my service,” said Mowell. According to Mowell, a 2016 Walnut Grove High School graduate, the values required to succeed in the military are similar to those found in Monroe. “Lessons that I have learned from my hometown, is that you have to respect other people to get respect for yourself,” said Mowell. “Also, I have learned that if you are methodical with your work and take your time, your end product is a lot more sufficient.” USS New York’s bow is forged from steel salvaged from the wreckage of the 9/11 World Trade Center attack. According to Navy officials, the Navy’s 9/11 namesake ships uphold the virtues of service, sacrifice and selflessness that have always been the source of America’s strength. “It is an honor and privilege to carry on the legacy of the selfless heroes and unwilling victims of the 9/11 attacks,” said commanding officer of USS New York, Capt. Javier Gonzalez. “Our ship embodies the fighting passion that united Americans, despite an inconceivable tragedy, to defend our country’s values and continue the pursuit of freedom worldwide.” New York is designed to deliver Marines and their equipment where they are needed to support a variety of missions ranging from beach assaults to humanitarian relief efforts. Homeported in Norfolk, Virginia, New York is longer than two football fields at 684 feet. The ship is 105 feet wide and weighs more than 24,000 tons. It has four diesel engines that can push the ship through the water in excess of 26 mph. Serving in the Navy means Mowell is part of a world that is taking on new importance in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances and reforming business practices in support of the National Defense Strategy. “Naval security is key to our nation’s defense because the easiest way to cripple a nation’s economy is by taking out its ports and its ability to import and export,” said Mowell. “This is why it’s important to national defense.” With more than 90 percent of all trade traveling by sea, and 95 percent of the world’s international phone and internet traffic carried through fiber optic cables lying on the ocean floor, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity and security of the United States is directly linked to a strong and ready Navy. As a member of the U.S. Navy, Mowell and other New York sailors are proud to be part of a warfighting team that embodies the spirit, strength and resilience of the American people. “I am both humbled and honored to be a part of the special bond that this ship and her crew shares with this namesake,” added Mowell. |
NEVER FORGET 9/11
Diegos story
George Rincon and Yolanda Reyes stand with a portrait of their son Diego Rincon. The family immigrated to the U.S. from Colombia in 1989. Diego served in the Army and was killed in Iraq in 2003.
20 years have gone
by since the
American tragedy of
Sept 11, 2001.
That day affected us all. Everyone remembers
where they were and how they felt watching
a tragedy happen right in front of you.
We were all disgusted & saddened but
felt so connected as Americans because
no matter our differences...
we all felt “No one Messes with My Family”
and we all mourned together.
Many brave Americans...and “non Americans”
alike stepped up and took action.
Diego Rincon was one of those people.
He was not American by birth but had a green card.
One of four children in a family that
immigrated to the USA from Colombia.
He & joined the military to fight
for the country he loved in response
to the attacks of Sept 11, 2001.
We have the honor of meeting many wonderful & memorable
people in our business and the Rincon family will always
stand out in my memory. A loving father living the
American dream running his own business with his sons.
He was a customer of mine & I was his as well.
While Diego was deployed to Iraq he left his beloved mustang
at our shop updating his car stereo system
with the latest technology of the time,
to pick up when he returned from his tour.
His father always beaming with pride for his
all of his children would home in & check on the progress
knowing it was something Diego loved and looked
forward to enjoying when he arrived back home.
On one occasion he took a subwoofer box to ship
Diego’s care package items in because he knew it
would make his son smile.
Unfortunately Diego never made it home.
His family learned that same day that he had been killed.
He was killed Saturday, March 29, 2003
in a suicide bombing attack at a military checkpoint
north of the city of Najaf.
Three other Army soldiers also died in the attack,
in which a taxi driver waved to the soldiers for assistance
and then blew up the vehicle.
He had written an ominous letter home that tragically came true.
He was killed by a suicide bomber in March of 2003
fighting for the country that he truly loved.
Just weeks after his death, the U.S. Senate passed a law that grants immediate U.S. citizenship to immigrant soldiers who die in combat. Diego Rincon was honored with a title he had always sought — U.S. citizen
Now here we are 20 years after 9/11
longer than Diego was on this earth.
So please take a moment to honor him
and all those lost to the tragedy of
9/11 & in the wars that followed
NEVER FORGET!
God Bless...
by since the
American tragedy of
Sept 11, 2001.
That day affected us all. Everyone remembers
where they were and how they felt watching
a tragedy happen right in front of you.
We were all disgusted & saddened but
felt so connected as Americans because
no matter our differences...
we all felt “No one Messes with My Family”
and we all mourned together.
Many brave Americans...and “non Americans”
alike stepped up and took action.
Diego Rincon was one of those people.
He was not American by birth but had a green card.
One of four children in a family that
immigrated to the USA from Colombia.
He & joined the military to fight
for the country he loved in response
to the attacks of Sept 11, 2001.
We have the honor of meeting many wonderful & memorable
people in our business and the Rincon family will always
stand out in my memory. A loving father living the
American dream running his own business with his sons.
He was a customer of mine & I was his as well.
While Diego was deployed to Iraq he left his beloved mustang
at our shop updating his car stereo system
with the latest technology of the time,
to pick up when he returned from his tour.
His father always beaming with pride for his
all of his children would home in & check on the progress
knowing it was something Diego loved and looked
forward to enjoying when he arrived back home.
On one occasion he took a subwoofer box to ship
Diego’s care package items in because he knew it
would make his son smile.
Unfortunately Diego never made it home.
His family learned that same day that he had been killed.
He was killed Saturday, March 29, 2003
in a suicide bombing attack at a military checkpoint
north of the city of Najaf.
Three other Army soldiers also died in the attack,
in which a taxi driver waved to the soldiers for assistance
and then blew up the vehicle.
He had written an ominous letter home that tragically came true.
He was killed by a suicide bomber in March of 2003
fighting for the country that he truly loved.
Just weeks after his death, the U.S. Senate passed a law that grants immediate U.S. citizenship to immigrant soldiers who die in combat. Diego Rincon was honored with a title he had always sought — U.S. citizen
Now here we are 20 years after 9/11
longer than Diego was on this earth.
So please take a moment to honor him
and all those lost to the tragedy of
9/11 & in the wars that followed
NEVER FORGET!
God Bless...