TOP CHARACTER STRENGTHS

BRAVERY - HUMOR - LEADERSHIP

On September 10th, 2007, United States Army Staff Sergeant Gregory Rivera-Santiago sustained fatal injuries in a non-combative vehicular accident while on his third deployment in Baghdad, Iraq.

Rivera-Santiago was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and moved to St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, at a very young age. He graduated from high school in 1999 with honors while also working at a grocery store in his free time.

Rivera-Santiago enlisted in the Army in 1998 when he was only 17 years old. Throughout his career, Rivera-Santiago was deployed three times: once to Afghanistan and twice to Iraq. He is remembered for his devotion to his fellow soldiers, constantly taking them under his wing and teaching them valuable lessons. Rivera-Santiago was dedicated to his career, and showed an eagerness to learn and improve his skills and techniques in combat.

U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Gregory Rivera-Santiago is survived by his wife, Brooke, his three children Ayani, Gregory IV, and Xiomara, his mother Carmen, father Gregory, sisters Inia and Jeanette, and his brother Ommi.

Character Strength Story:

BRAVERY - SSG Gregory Rivera-Santiago definitely showed no fear. I asked him once why he wanted the Infantry MOS and he stated that he liked to blow [stuff] up. He always took part in any training that would help with his combat skills. Just before his death he trained with a personal security company, through which he attended the BET awards in 2006 and kept security on the red carpet.

HUMOR -  SSG Gregory Rivera-Santiago was rarely serious. He loved to play his music loud and dance around with our daughter Ayani on his feet. A memory of him that I cannot get out of my head even to this day is when we were in the car at a stop light. I was driving and he was playing his music and singing. He looked over at me. I guess I looked serious. And he told me to "get crunk" and motioned his arms up and down in a goal post motion. He wouldn't quit until I did it too.

LEADERSHIP - SSG Gregory Rivera-Santiago was an NCO who took his job  seriously—not just fighting the enemy, but taking care of his soldiers too. I remember him spending hours on his soldiers’ paperwork for their NCOERs, carefully writing them in a way to give them recognition for their hard work.

—Submitted by Brooke, Surviving Wife