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Funeral for JO3 Raul A. Guerra (Vietnam War)

by Hondo••22

This February, DPAA announced that it had accounted for JO3 Raul A. Guerra, US Navy Reserve. JO3 Guerra was lost in Vietnam on 8 October 1967.

JO3 Guerra will be buried this week – on Thursday, 25 April 2019, in Whittier, California. Regrettably, DPAA does not seem to have posted the specific location for his funeral or interment.

If any TAH readers have the precise location for either JO3 Guerra’s funeral or interment, please post it in comments below. And if any readers are in that area and have the time, here’s an opportunity to give someone lost during the Vietnam War a proper final send-off.

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22 thoughts on “Funeral for JO3 Raul A. Guerra (Vietnam War)”

    2. I am a member of the Patriot Guard Riders and we will be escorting JO3 Guerra’s remains from Los Angeles International Airport to Risher Mortuary in Montebello, CA tonight. The funeral service will be on Thursday, April 25, 2019.

      I will post the times and funeral procession routes below.

      1. Phil:

        Thank You so much as well as the other Patriot Guard members for your dedication in doing this.

        Salute To All Of You.

        1. It’s our honor to pay respects and honors to our Fallen Brothers and First Responders.

  4. Also would like to add this individual, Tom Reece from North Carolina.

    Apparently he and his brother & sister-in-law have been searching & listing info on all NC Viet Nam vets who gave their lives during the war.

    From his post:

    ” My brother Jim & Rosa King and I are currently working on all the NC Vietnam KIA/MIA’s Grave sites. After 8 years of searching, we’ve located all of the resting places and pictures for these brave men & women who paid the ultimate price, over 1900 of them. This doesn’t mean we are idle. The search for all Vietnam KIA/MIA’s goes on!”

    There is a “send message” link thingly on the below posted link where you can give him a tip of the hat for all he has done for veterans.
    I have already done so.

    https://www.findagrave.com/user/profile/46857744

  7. Raul Antonio Guerra’s Obituary that was dated 20 March 2019 with additional information for Skyjumper’s input (See below).

    It looks as if his casket will be arriving tomorrow, 23 April at the Los Angeles Airport with a Memorial Service held at the Risher Mortuary in Whittier, CA on 24 April.

    A Memorial Mass at the Alphonsus Catholic Church will be held on 25 April, followed by burial of his remains:

    https://www.rishermortuary.com/m/obituaries/Raul-Guerra-2/Memories

    Los Angeles Int’l Airport
    APR 23. 7:45 PM
    LAX

    Memorial Service
    APR 24. 12:00 PM – 9:00 PM
    Risher Montebello Mortuary
    1316 Whittier Blvd.
    Montebello, CA, 90640

    Reflections
    APR 24. 6:30 PM
    Risher Montebello Mortuary
    1316 Whittier Blvd.
    Montebello, CA, 90640

    Memorial Mass
    APR 25. 10:00 AM
    St. Alphonsus Catholic Church
    532 S Atlantic Blvd.
    Los Angeles, CA, 90022

    Burial
    APR 25.
    Rose Hills Memorial Park
    3888 Workman Mill Rd.
    Whittier, CA, 90601

    “Petty Officer Raul Antonio Guerra’s official notification from the United States Navy was Wednesday, March 20, 2019.”

    “Raul Antonio Guerra was born on December 18, 1942 in Mexico and was taken tragically too soon at the young age of 24 on October 8, 1967 in the Vietnam War. He was adopted.”

    “Navy Journalist 3rd Class Raul A. Guerra, 24, of Montebello, California, who was tragically taken during the Vietnam War, was accounted for on Feb. 21, 2019. On Oct. 8, 1967, Guerra was a passenger on board an E-1B Tracer, en route from Chu Lai Air Base to the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany, on which he was stationed.”

    “Approximately ten miles northwest of Da Nang, South Vietnam, radar contact with the aircraft was lost, and adverse weather hampered subsequent search efforts. Several days later, aircraft wreckage was spotted along a mountainside, approximately 11 miles northwest of Da Nang. Because of the location and very steep terrain, a ground recovery could not be conducted. Guerra, as well as the four other servicemen on board, were declared killed in action.”

    “Ruben Valencia, now a resident of Pico Rivera, met Guerra in 1956 when both were in the fifth grade attending Eastmont Elementary School in Montebello. “We just formed a bond, being that both of us were raised by single moms,” Valencia said. “Both of us went on and graduated from Montebello High School.”

    “That’s when their paths split. Guerra went on to East Angeles College, where he was co-editor of the college newspaper and later went to work for the Montebello News. He enlisted in the Navy in 1966. Valencia got married in 1965, was drafted into the Marines in December 1965. He served for 11 months in Vietnam. Valencia was home on leave in Southern California when he learned that the plane carrying Guerra crashed into a mountain.”

    “He had volunteered to go on this reconnaissance flight over Da Nang,” Valencia said, referring to a letter he had received from Guerra. “He thought he could get a bird’s eye view,” he said.”

    “Ruben described the day that he found out about Raul’s tragedy. He got a call from Raul’s mother to come to her house as she was notified by the United States Military that she should expect servicemen to come to her house regarding news of her son. As Raul arrived, he learned of the news that his best friend had been in a crash and would not be returning home. This began the fuel In Ruben’s life to bring his best friend home.”

    “Remains of Vietnam War j?Journalist May Finally Be Coming Home”

    https://www.whittierdailynews.com/2017/10/06/remains-of-vietnam-war-journalist-may-finally-be-coming-home/

    Rest In Peace, Sailor.

    Salute.

    Bring Them All Home.

  8. I had the pleasure of working with incredibly talented Army Public Affairs NCOs while deployed to AFG. One SGT had earned an engineering degree from Georgia Tech and he had the highest ASVAB scores I ever saw recorded. This cat could operate an Army radio station, write engaging newspaper articles, take combat photos, interview high ranking military leaders, and give outstanding briefings. I encouraged him to seek a commission but his wife was frustrated with his multiple deployments and he planned to leave the Army at ETS so they could build their family. What an incredible Soldier and NCO – I will never forget him or his accomplishments.

  9. Welcome Home Brother. We Salute your Service and pay Honor to your Sacrifice. May God’s Peace and Comfort be with your Family.

    Thanks Hondo for the post; and Thanks too, to Skyjumper and AnotherPat for the added linkys. I dropped by and visited them.

  10. Welcome home brother. Here is the timeline for JO3 Raul Guerra’s funeral service and the route that will be taken from Risher Mortuary, Montebello, CA to the church and from the church to Rose Hills Memorial Park in WHittier, CA on April 25, 2019. The public is being urged to line the streets ans pay thier respects to this hero.

    Tonight we (Patriot Guard Riders) will escort JO3 Guerra’s remans from LAX to the Risher Mortuary in Montebello, CA. We are expected to arrive at Risher at 2100. Risher Mortuary is located at 1316 Whittier Blvd., Montebello, CA.

    Timeline for funeral services and interment on Thursday, April 25, 2019:

    Depart Risher Mortuary located at 1316 W. Whittier Blvd, Montebello, CA at 0830. Route to St Alphonsus church is West on Whittier blvd to S. Atlantic Ave, turn right on Atlantic and proceed approximately 1/2 block to St Alphonsus Catholic Church.

    Departure from St Alphonsus will be at approximately 1100. The route from the church to Rose Hills is as follows:

    Depart St Alphonsus @ 1100, proceed NORTH on Atlantic Blvd to Eagle Street, TURN RIGHT.

    Eagle St to Hillview Ave (1 block), TURN LEFT.

    Hillview to Via Campo, TURN RIGHT.

    Via Campo to Findley Ave, TURN RIGHT

    Findley Ave to Beverly Blvd, TURN LEFT

    Beverly Blvd to Garfield Ave, TURN RIGHT

    Garfield Ave to Whittier Blvd, TURN LEFT

    Whittier Blvd to Norwalk Blvd, TURN LEFT

    Norwalk Blvd (becomes Workman Mill Road)to Rose Hills Road, TURN LEFT

    Rose Hills Rd to Gate 9, on the RIGHT

    Estimated arrival time at Rose Hills is 1145.

    Again, the public is invited line the procession route to honor JO3 Raul Guerra.

    Honoring Our Fallen has the procession route and timeline posted to their facebook page if you care to screenshot and print it out. Additional information can be found on the Patriot Guard Riders webpage: https://www.socalpgr.org/

    1. On the PGR site, click “SoCal Missions” at the top of the page, then click “SoCal PGR Missions”, scroll to the bottom of the listing to JO3 Raul A. Guerra and click Pt 1 or Pt 2…part two is the funeral service and interment info.

      1. Thank You, again, Phil for doing this as well as sharing this information.

        God Bless You and the Patriot Riders.

        Hope to see more of you on TAH.

  11. His remains will be interred at Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier on Thursday (26APR19). Master Chief Brian Brannon was part of honor guard escorting body off the plane at LAX. Posted it on fb.

  13. Today we buried JO3 Raul A. Guerra. The Montebello PD led to procession from East LA to Rose Hills, students lined the balcony of Montebello Intermediate School as we passed, pockets of people stood along the route, holding flags, saluting or placing their hands over their hearts. ADM Theodore LeClair, Deputy Commander, 7th Fleet presented the burial flag to Ruben Valencia, the boyhood friend who was the moving force behind getting Guerra home. The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Aero Bureau did a flyover of the burial site.

    It was a very moving and fitting Welcome Home and Fairwell to a Fallen Hero.

    2. Thank You, Mr. Martin Wright and Mr. Phil Millard, for sharing this with us and attending JO3 Raul A. Guerra’s Memorial and Funeral service.

      Raul is finally home with Friends and Family. A nig gtateful Thank You to Mr.Ruben Valencia, who never gave up in bringing his boyhood friend home.

      Salute. Never Forget.

      Bring Them All Home.

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