A natural, he led from the front

As head of an infantry company, Mendoza believed in leading from the front, sharing the risks with his young grunts. In the end, it was that trait that led to his death.

He was scouting an attack position near Iraq's border with Syria on Nov. 14, 2005, when he stepped on a land mine.

He was 37 and left a widow and two children. In his last phone call to his wife, he asked her about injured Marines from his company who'd been sent back to Camp Pendleton for treatment. He made no mention of the dangerous mission he and his company had been given.

I met Mendoza during the battle in Fallouja in early 2004. I attended his funeral less than two years later in Oceanside. At the church, each of us was handed a picture of him.

I keep that picture on the front of my computer. I can't forget Ray, his bravery and the sacrifice that he and the others have made for our country -- not while that picture stares at me. That's the idea.

tony.perry@latimes.com