Story Published: Jul 10, 2008 at 7:17 PM PST
Story Updated: Nov 20, 2008 at 10:00 PM PST
The father of Army Sgt. Alex Jimenez of Lawrence says the military told him Thursday that the remains of his son were identified in Iraq.
The father of Army Sgt. Alex Jimenez, of Lawrence, Mass., said the remains of his son and another soldier, Pvt. Byron W. Fouty, of Waterford, Mich., had been identified in Iraq.
Jimenez, 25, and Fouty, 19, were kidnapped along with a third member of the 2nd Brigade of the 10th Mountain Division during an ambush in May 2007 that left several other soldiers dead. The body of the third kidnapped soldier, Pfc. Joseph Anzack Jr. of Torrance, Calif., was found in the Euphrates River in May.
Jimenez's father, Ramon "Andy" Jimenez, said uniformed military officials came to his home Thursday to tell him the body of his son and some of his son's personal effects had been discovered. Fouty's stepfather, Gordon Dibler, said military officials also came to his home Thursday to break the news.
Andy Jimenez told The Associated Press through a translator that the news "shattered all hope" the family had to "see Alex walk home on his own."
"Every day that he's been missing has been a day of `what could have been' ... but after hearing the news today ... I'm still in shock," Dibler said.
The soldiers' families, who had become friends over the past year, were notified around the same time and had been in touch. The Pentagon generally waits 24 hours after notifying the next of kin before making a release public.
Lawrence veterans services director Francisco Urena, who was at the Jimenez home Thursday and translated for the soldier's father, said the family was given no details on the discovery of the bodies or the nature of the soldiers' deaths. Dibler said Fouty's body was found in Jurf as Sakhr.
Urena said the Jimenez family expected to receive Alex Jimenez's body in five days.
"He's very thankful for everybody from the community in Lawrence and throughout the U.S. who have provided him support during the difficult time the family has been through during the past 14 months," Urena said of Andy Jimenez.
The soldiers were from Company D, 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment - nicknamed the "Polar Bears."
