Denver – A Marine who was killed while fighting in Iraq this week joined the Corps looking for a brighter future, his younger brother said today.
Lance Cpl. Evenor C. Herrera, 22, of Gypsum, died Wednesday from injuries he suffered when a bomb exploded during combat near Ar Ramadi, the Defense Department reported.
“He was a great person. He was an American hero,” his brother, Balmore Herrera said, in a phone interview. “He was a great person, and he won’t be forgotten by us.” Evenor Herrera was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Balmore Herrera, 20, a Marine who recently joined the same division, said his brother joined the Marines nearly three years ago.
“I just know he wanted a better future. He didn’t want a dead-end job,” the younger Herrera said.
The unit was conducting combat operations at the time of the attacks, and Evenor Herrera was serving as a machine gunner, his brother said.
Herrera’s unit was attached to the 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force as a part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Defense Department said.
The brothers last spoke about three weeks ago and talked about going to Las Vegas in November.
Balmore Herrera learned from his mother in Avon that his older brother had died.
“It still hasn’t hit me yet. I know about it, but I don’t want to believe it,” he said.
The brothers also have two older sisters.
Evenor Herrera, who went to Eagle Valley High School, liked spending time with family and friends, fishing and snowboarding.
“He had a positive attitude. He always looked at the brighter side of things, no matter the situation,” Balmore Herrera said.
“He always wanted to be in charge, pretty much. He was a good brother. We’re only a year apart. We had a lot of fun.” Memorial services were pending.
