Javier Ortiz Rivera
DOD // 11.16.2010
HOMETOWN // Cayey, PR
DOB // 09.07.1984
Javier was born in Cayey, Puerto Rico. His family moved to Rochester, NY when he was a young child. He graduated from East High in Rochester, NY and joined the Marine Corps in July of 2003. Javier's MOS was 0331- machine gunner. He was deployed multiple times to combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was killed in action while conducting combat operations in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. He was awarded a Purple Heart medal and a Bronze Star medal with valor device. He is survived by his wife Veronica, his three children, Alyssa, Andrew, and Anthony, mother, father, brother, sister, and many other family and friends.
Javier was a Dallas Cowboys fan. Living in a military town, there is a good mix of NFL fans. Every Sunday, during football season, Javier would wear a Dallas Cowboys jersey to church. Many people would hate on his team. One day after church, he randomly told me (his wife) that when he died he wanted everyone to wear Dallas Cowboys fan attire to his funeral so that all of the "haters" would have to eat their words and he could look down from heaven and laugh at them all. At Javier's memorial service a church full of hundreds of people, including die hard Dallas Cowboys haters, wore Dallas Cowboys fan attire. - submitted by family