Army Master Sgt. Emigdio Elizarraras, 37, Pico Rivera; Killed by a Roadside Bomb

Colleagues remember Emigdio E. Elizarraras, a former baseball player at El Rancho High School in Pico Rivera and an Army soldier, as a good-spirited team player.

“He was very well-liked throughout our company and within the battalion,” Army Master Sgt. Vince Sepulveda of South Pasadena wrote in an e-mail from Afghanistan. “I am truly grateful to have known him, been his friend and served with him in the Special Forces.”

Sepulveda last saw his friend Feb. 28, when a roadside bomb exploded near Elizarraras’ Humvee during a reconnaissance mission in Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan, southwest of Kabul. The bomb killed Elizarraras, 37, who served as a Special Forces master sergeant assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group at Ft. Bragg, N.C.

“I really can’t remember too much of that day, but I do remember looking into his eyes,” Sepulveda wrote, “and [I] knew that he was proud to serve his country and help the people of Afghanistan.”

Elizarraras, whose friends called him “EZ,” served in the Army for 19 years. “EZ always put his friends first and was a true inspiration for the younger soldiers to follow,” Sepulveda wrote.

After graduating from high school in 1986, Elizarraras enlisted in the Army as an infantryman and attended basic training at Ft. Benning, Ga.

Ben Meza, who coached Elizarraras on the El Rancho baseball team during his junior and senior years, said they talked about his decision to enlist, and Meza wrote a recommendation letter supporting him.

“I remember him thinking [the military] was going to be a good thing for him,” Meza said. “He saw it as an opportunity to do something a little different.”

Elizarraras was a tall teenager who played four positions on the team, Meza said. Fellow players appreciated his versatility and outgoing personality, he said. “I feel sadness and great concern for the family,” Meza said. “He was still a young man.”

The family could not be reached for interviews, but in a statement posted on the Army’s Special Operations Command news website, they thanked the public for its support. “The Elizarraras family would like to thank friends and members of the Special Operations community for their sincere expressions of sympathy during this very difficult time,” the family’s posting read. “Your support is appreciated as we mourn the loss of Emigdio, who was a loving husband, a devoted father, a caring son and a selfless soldier.”

Dozens have signed an online memorial page for him, with messages such as: “I am one of many that were lucky enough to know and work with EZ and will never forget the humor and knowledge that he brought to the team. He will be missed. My prayers are with you.”

And, “It was a pleasure to have served with EZ. I know he was a great husband and father to you all. He was a great teammate and friend to me. I will miss him. Take comfort in knowing he was a good influence on everyone he worked with, and knowing you will see him again.”

After high school, Elizarraras spent four years with the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment at Ft. Campbell, Ky., during which he served in the Gulf War. He also served in the 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. He later worked as an instructor at the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation at Ft. Benning. In 1997, he volunteered for Special Forces training, completing the course in 1998.

Elizarraras is survived by his wife, Kris; a son, Andrew; and two daughters, Olivia and Sally, all of Fayetteville, N.C.; his parents, Emigdio and Martha Elizarraras of Pico Rivera; and a sister, Leticia of Peoria, Ariz.