Fallen Soldier-Cerritos High Grad Has Name Inscribed on City's Veterans Memorial

During this year’s annual Cerritos Memorial Day ceremony, former resident and Lieutenant Colonel Mario Carazo became the first person to have his name inscribed on the city’s Veterans Memorial.

Hundreds attended the ceremony held on May 30 at the Cerritos Civic Center to pay tribute to Carazo, a U.S. marine who was killed while flying a combat mission over Helmand Province, Afghanistan on July 22, 2010.

Dozens of members of Carazo’s family as well as lifelong friends were in attendance to remember the man who was described as being a humble and meticulous person who always sought to invest in the future.

Several took turns at the podium to share anecdotes about Carazo’s childhood and to discuss his motivations for joining the armed forces.

Carazo’s brother, Al, talked about his younger sibling’s early interest in flying.

“When our family first moved to Cerritos, there were dairy’s everywhere,” said Al, eliciting laughter from the crowd. “As kids, we all had a lot of fun with that, but at seven years old, Mario said, ‘I wanted to build helicopters'.”

He continued: “So, Mario would build all of these toy helicopters and planes and my dad would hang them around the house.”

Mario’s curiosity with aviation wasn’t confined to his family’s home. While attending , Carazo’s dream of flying and interest in the military helped shape his future aspirations, childhood friend Jeff Berkenkamp told the crowd.

“When we were in the third grade, Mario began to talk about his dream of serving our country by joining the military and becoming a pilot.” said Berkenkamp. “This became his passion, and anyone who knew Mario knew what he wanted to do.”

“Unlike a lot of us as kids, he (Mario) was never ashamed to talk about his faith, his love for his family or his love for our country,” he added.

During the ceremony, patriotic musical selections were played by the Cerritos College Band, including a medley of armed forces theme songs.

Members of the crowd clapped along as current and former members of various military branches stood as their particular themes were played.

Along with Carazo, fallen members of the 1st Combat Engineering Battalion of the United States Marine Corps, a group “adopted” by various members of the Cerritos community, were also acknowledged.

Members of the C.E.B. remembered were: Lance Corporal Arden Joseph Buenagua; Corporal Eric M. Tolbert, Jr. and Corporal Daane A. Deboer.

“It’s really a pleasure to see the Veterans Memorial serve its purpose which is to pay tribute to local heroes,” said Tom Tislow, one of several members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1846, who attended the ceremony.

Tislow, a Vietnam veteran, said after the ceremony, “The Cerritos-Artesia VFW applauds the city for bringing honor to an exemplary young man and putting on such a great event.”

“It took years to make sure that the Memorial was approved and built. I still remember being here at the Civic Center the day a crane was used to bring in some of the pieces,” said Tislow.

Cerritos Mayor Carol Chen said that she attends the Memorial Day event every year, but that this year’s event took on extra meaning.

“Maybe in years past people were more distant,” she said. “Mario Carazo being honored and remembered here today I think really brings it home in terms of the sacrifices being made by members of our armed forces.”

“It’s sad that we have to honor him in death, but our city staff was meticulous and did a wonderful job in making sure the privacy of the Carazo family was respected, and worked toward providing a moving tribute,” the mayor added.

Carazo,who died at the age of 41, would have celebrated his 42nd birthday last week.