Mourners remember National Guardsman
Post-Tribune staff report July 26, 2012 9:38PM
Spc. Sergio Perez of Crown Point. | Provided Photo~Sun-Times Media ptmet
Updated: August 28, 2012 6:24AM
Hundreds of mourners gathered to pay their respects to Spc. Sergio E. Perez on Thursday during his visitation.
Perez, 21, of Crown Point, was a member of the Indiana National Guard. He was serving in the Kandahar province of Afghanistan when his unit, part of the 713 Engineer Company, came under attack. Spc. Nicholas Andrew Taylor of Berne, near Fort Wayne, also was killed.
Perez graduated from Lake Central High School in 2010.
The visitation room at Burns Funeral Home, with Perez’s casket draped by an American flag, was overflowing with mourners. Several kneeled before his casket to pay their respects. Photos of Perez’s life were on display throughout the facility, with a slideshow running in the front of the room and in the facility’s lobby.
A memo from the Congressional Record, entered by U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Merrillville, was also on display.
“It is with immense sadness and great respect I rise to remember Army National Guard Spc. Sergio Eduardo Perez for his bravery and willingness to fight for his country,” Visclosky said. “Specialist Perez sacrificed his life in service to his country and his passing comes at a great loss to our nation, which has once again been shaken by the realities of war. Specialist Perez will forever remain a hero in the eyes of his family, his community and his country. Thus, let us never forget the sacrifice he made to preserve the ideals of freedom and democracy.”
A funeral for Perez is at 10 a.m. Friday at Our Lady of Consolation, 8303 Taft St., Merrillville.
