Army Spc. Jose R. Perez, 21, Ontario; killed by a sniper in Iraq

For more than two years, Army Spc. Jose R. Perez had preached the virtues of military service -- and in the same breath talked about using his veterans benefits to open a barbershop in his hometown of Ontario.

The plan sounded admirable, even cozy, to his wife and high school sweetheart, Violeta, who only wanted a stable life for their infant daughter, Izabel, and 4-year-old son, Jose Jr.

Until he was killed by a sniper Oct. 18 in Iraq, the infantryman assured his wife that, as she put it, “he was safe, and a little closer to being able to give his son all the things he didn’t have growing up.”

Perez, 21, and six other frontline fighters were on a security watch on a rooftop in Ramadi, west of Baghdad, when they were attacked with small-arms fire. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division in Baumholder, Germany.

Perez was among 10 California troops killed in October, one of the bloodiest months for U.S. forces since the war began in 2003.

“He was a great American,” said Wayne Marotto, a spokesman for the 1st Armored Division. “He made the ultimate sacrifice for his country.”

Those closest to Perez remember him as a loving father with a cheery smile and a passion for playing soccer.

“He just loved that game; he played it his whole life,” his 21-year-old wife said.

She said he was captain of the varsity soccer team at Ontario’s Chaffey High School, and was voted the most valuable player in 2003.

The couple were married March 20, 2004, in a low-key ceremony beside a small decorative fountain at Victory Chapel in San Bernardino. Six days later, Perez reported for basic training at Ft. Benning, Ga.

“He didn’t tell me he’d enlisted, but after I learned he had, I was right there with him,” his wife said. “He was very proud of being in the Army. We were all proud of him, and we told him so all the time.”

“Our dreams were simple,” she added. “When he came home, we were going back to school, and in a year, buy a house. Then, when we were financially stable, we were going to get married in a church.”

In addition to his wife and children, Perez is survived by his father, Jose; his mother, Maria; a brother, Eduardo; and two sisters, Claudia and Stephanie.

louis.sahagun@latimes.com