Army Spc. Ronnie J. Pallares, 19, Rancho Cucamonga; soldier is killed in explosion

By the time he graduated from Rancho Cucamonga’s Alta Loma High School in 2008, Ronnie Pallares had already enlisted in the Army.

That came as a surprise to his family; Pallares had talked about becoming a police officer or perhaps going into journalism because he loved to write. He had never indicated an interest in the military, and at first his mother was not prepared to give permission for her eldest child to join before the age of 18.

“Ronnie was 17 1/2, and I sat him down the day the recruiter came” to the high school, Brenda Pallares said. “I told him, ‘Everything sounds fine and dandy, but let’s face reality; there’s a war going on.’

“I looked him straight in the eye and asked him, ‘You are telling me that you are willing to die for this country?’ He stood up and said, ‘Yes, Mom. Either you sign this or I will sign up when I am 18.’ I decided to support him. I’ll never forget that day.”

Pallares, 19, combat engineer, died Oct. 23 in central Afghanistan’s Ghazni province when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. It was five days before his 20th birthday.

Like other family members, Pallares’ uncle Vince Pallares was not happy at first with his nephew’s decision to enlist, fearing the happy-go-lucky young man who loved music and sports was not cut out for military life.

“I tried to talk him out of it,” he said. “He told me that if every person who wanted to enlist could be talked out of it, who would be left to fight for our freedom?”

Pallares was born in Pomona but grew up in Rancho Cucamonga and seemed to spend all his spare time playing sports or following his beloved Dodgers and Lakers.

Dawn and Ronald Smith coached Pallares in Little League, where he became an All Star third-baseman.

He was always trying to keep up the spirits of his teammates, the couple said.

“Things could be looking bad, and he would say, ‘Let’s turn it around! That’s OK,’” Dawn Smith said. “He was always trying to help the other guys on the team. He touched so many people in such a positive manner.”

She said that when Pallares was home on leave in August, he came by the local Little League field to watch some games. Pallares had talked about coaching one day.

Brenda Pallares last spoke to her son Oct. 13, and they talked with excitement about his unit’s return home in the coming weeks. “He said, ‘Mom, we did it, we made it through,’” she said.

Pallares was assigned to the 27th Engineer Battalion at Ft. Bragg, N.C., and was on his first deployment. He was scheduled to return to the United States in December and was looking forward to marrying his fiancee, Vanessa Jauregui, family members said.

The Rancho Cucamonga community has rallied around the family, gathering recently below a city-sponsored banner on Haven Avenue in honor of military personnel to sing “Happy Birthday” to the slain soldier. The banner now carries a gold star, signifying a slain soldier.

Last week, several hundred people attended a memorial service for Pallares that lasted more than two hours because of the number of people who wished to speak.

“It has been overwhelming,” Brenda Pallares said. “Our community has been such a great support. You don’t realize what this kid meant out there.”

In addition to his mother, Pallares’ survivors include his brothers, Danny Ray Aguayo, John Albert Garcia and Roland Garcia; his sisters, Priscilla Garcia and Alexandrea Garcia; and his grandparents, Richard and Lucy Pallares. Burial was at Riverside National Cemetery.

Pallares sometimes translated his love of music and writing into poems he posted on his Facebook page, a practice he continued while serving in Afghanistan. One poem titled “Bagram Afghanistan” gave voice to his passion to serve. The end reads:

So for the people, who read this, don’t feel bad for me, This is what I wanted to do, to make sure you all are free.

I have no regrets, no matter what happens from now till then.

And while I’m here, I will always volunteer to be the one they send.

julie.cart@latimes.com